Tahatian moon sand VS. Ph???

rift-n-reef

rift-n-reef

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Oct 11, 2000
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Will black tahatian moon sand effect the Ph in my tank? I recently set up a new 72g bow front(about 4 months ago) and when I tested the Ph today, it came in a bit lower than I expected. My normal Ph out of the tap is around 8.6-8.8. My 72g tested about 7.4. There is nothing else in the tank that could possibly drop the Ph. Just some lace rock, and a couple shells for the Lamps. At any rate, I'm using it for a grow out tank for a colony of C. Frontosa, and I'm concerned about my ph being that low. My amonia tested 0, my nitrite tested 0, and my nitrate tested about 10ppm. I do %10 weekly water changes, and I'm pretty fanatical about my filter so I'm at a loss on this one.

I was under the impression that the tahatian moon sand, if any thing, would help maintain a higher ph, perhaps I was misled? Any input is appreciated.

TIA,
"J"
 
I use it in my shellie tank and haven't noticed any change in my pH.

When you test your ph of your tap water after it has been airated or left out for a while is it still 8.8? sometimes ph changes after the tap water has been left out. Not sure if this is the case(as the ph usually raises instead of falling) but it may be somethign to look at. I don't think the sand is lowering the ph.
 
The tapwater PH might be high but the carbonate hardness might not be high enough to sustain that alkalinity over the long term. As the water becomes aerated the PH drops near neutral due to the lack of minerals in the water. This could be one explaination for your PH drop.

According to the petwarehouse.com site, your substrate shouldn't affect PH either way.

I would mix in generous amounts of crushed coral or coral sand to your substrate. This should definitely keep your PH stable around 8.0, which should be acceptable for your Frontosa. You could also use limestone or dead coral as decorations, etc. I would not use a chemical product to adjust the PH, as stability is almost as important as the PH itself.
 
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I've seen it stated that Tahitian Moon sand was aragonite based, therefore it should help buffer pH,kh, but I must confess I've never actually touched the stuff. It might be silica based, in which case it wont do a thing, or calcite sand which will only start to work with almost acid pH.
What's driving down your pH is a good question. Bioload producing organic acids, or CO2 being dissolved in if your house is poorly ventilated? Think about your bioload, and check your kH
 
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