Hello & ph Question

C

CaptnDan

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Oct 21, 2004
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Hi everyone. I've been reading the forum for quite a while, but this is the first time I have posted here. This is a very knowlegable group!

Here's my current dilema. I have a 55g tha has been giving me fits for a while now. For one thing, the pH is low - like less than 6.0 At first I tried pH increasing chemicals but all that did was bounce the levels around. I tried Proper pH 7.0 but it didn't seem to work either.

I tested the water straight from the tap. The pH is about what I am seeing in the tank. My readings are stable, but not good. Other readings from the tank are : KH - 80ppm, GH - 75ppm, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate - fluctuates around 80ppm.

I have tried Nitrate reducing filter media to no avail. My biggest concern is this pH thing. If I manage to get it up to where it belongs, as soon as I add the acidic water from the tap, it's going to drop again and I know that will stress the fish.

Any suggestions would be welcomed. Thanks. - Dan
 
It looks lik eyour KH is a bit low, which is why the pH is low and easily drops. Rather than adding the chemicals, try adding some crushed coral to the tank. The amount will vary, but start with about 1 tsp, and add it as needed. to slowly increase the KH. This will bring the pH up a bit, and more importantly--stablize it there.

For nitrates--how often do you do water changes? What is in the tank? Have you tested your water source?
 
I have tested the water source, and the Nitrate is reading 0 on the test strip.

We do 25% water changes about once a month. The tank has 4 Angels, 2 Gold Gouramis, 1 Dwarf Gourami, a Red Tailed Shark and a Spotted Cat of some sort. There are also a couple of Cherry Barbs left from when we first started out. The decorations are 100% fake.

Filtration is a Whisper 40 on one end and an AquaClear 300 on the other. Both filters draw their water in through an under-gravel filter.

I was using a Pur brand water filter on the tap water. I use the "Ultimate" cartridge. The LFS suggested that since this is intended for producing oure drinking water, it may be removing trace elements that the aquarium needs to function properly.

I had been told about the crushed coral, but my concern here is, since the tap water is acidic, will I be pH shocking the fish every time I change water and have to wait for the coral to do its job?
 
my .02 cents.

Water changes more often. I don't believe 25% every month is enough, especially not with fake plants to help process some of the nitrates. Does not help with your ph problem much though.

Copper
 
I have the same problem with my tap water. kH and pH is very low, so after some experimenting, I now routinely add one teaspoon of baking soda with every water change, and it brings up the kH and pH. You might need more baking soda, but you can try one tspn and go from there.
 
Besides coverting CO2 in the water into oxygen, plants absorb nitrates and trace minerals as fertilzer. Garden fertilizers may contain nitrates in the soil to feed the plants as well.

I believe aquarists in the past, and possibly still do, let the roots or tendrils of hanging houseplants dangle into their tanks to soak up some of the nitrates when aqatic plants were not readily available or not desired.
 
I'd suggest doing 25% water changes weekly and see if that helps keep your nitrates down more. May have to do larger changes weekly, just have to keep an eye on your nitrate levels until you find what works to keep them down where they need to be. Live plants can help, but they are not a "quick fix" to avoid regular maintenance.

Using crushed coral can help (put some in a nylon and drop it into your filter). I'm also using onyx sand as a substrate in one of my tanks which is helping boost the kh very well.
 
I agree--more frequent water changes will help with the nitrates, and likely stabilize the pH. Adding crushed coral to the tank shouldn't cause too much of a bounce effect--but you can experiment. I'd try more frequent water changes first--they tend to be the best treatment out there for most problems, especially since you know the new water is not importing nitrates.

Plants are not a quick fix. They will reduce nitrates, if they are growing and doing well. If the plants are dying, they actually contribute to nitrates as they rot--so planning for the plants and caring for them is just as important as caring for the fish.
 
OK, based on the suggestions, and some suggestions from a guy at the LFS:

I will stop using the AquaClear and Whisper filters as powerheads, and the undergravel will be removed. Since the AquaClear can handle up to 100 gallons, I will let it take care of the filtering job. The Whisper filter will still be used, but the only filter media, so to speak, will be crushed coral. This way, I have some control - if I just dump the coral into the tank, and it is too much, it will be a problem trying to get it sorted out from the gravel. If the pH goes up too much, I can just reduce the amount in the Whisper filter, reduce the flow rate, or turn it off for a few days.

Also, instead of using the drinking water filter that removes so much stuff, I will use one that just removes/neuteralizes chlorine and chloramine. For the initial fill after the cleanup, I will use straight tap water and de-chlorinate it chemically using Stress Coat (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals). The fish will be in temporary lodgings during this process. The removal of the undergravel system will no doubt release 'stuff' into the water and I don't want my fish there when it happens.

The next step will be to start planning for real plants so the nitrates don't skyrocket - again. I need to get some knowledge about plants before I make a real mess out of things though - I have no experience with them.

There isn't a lot I can do about the pH going into the tank, since that is how it is coming out of the tap. I am hoping that more frequent and smaller water changes (like 10% a week?) will be the answer - I don't think 5 gallons of pH 6.0 water going into the tank will cause that much of a fluctuation. Maybe a point or so, and the coral will correct that gradually. Shouldn't be too stressful for the fish. I hope.

If I am on the wrong track here, lemme know! Thanks for all the input folks!

Dan
 
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