HELP please!! SOS =( ph crash again.

terror

terror

AC Members
May 23, 1999
1,235
1
38
Manila, Philippines
Really sorry to start a new thread. but desperately need help.
was able to maintain my tanks ph at 7.5 for a few days. but earlier today after my water change and taking home 2 used sponge filter from lfs and squeezing them in my sump tank. my ph crashed again. currently at 4.5 or below. i added lots of baking soda bring it to 5 :(
now i'm really desperate. its night time here i'm afaraid my tanks ph might drop again during the night?

i have 6 kilos of crushed corals in my sump tank.
our tap waters kh is 3, ph is 7.5

earlier i made 50% water change. now trying to keep my tanks ph up :( using baking soda. but i'm worried that it will crash again when i go to sleep:(
badly need advice please help .
 
sounds like you need a buffer....i tryed baking soda in one of my tanks but ti worked too goo and kept my ph a 8, i culd not fix it till i took out all the water and changed it
 
how are your fish holding up? i wouldnt expect them to survive swings like that.

it sounds like you either need to start using RO water, or get even more crushed coral.
 
sorry to ask if you have described this problem before but can you set out the tank details - size, stock, test results for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, other contents of tank (decor and substrate, whether planted) and tank maintenance regime/other features (Co2/ferts etc).

also what is the Ph of the water you are adding when left standing in a shallow dish for 24 hours and what test kit do you use ?
 
thanks for the help. right now i'm trying to keep my ph at 7.5 or higher.
its currently at 6.5 kh is at 2 right now by using baking soda.
My asian arowanas seem to be fine. luckily my silver arowana is quite sensitive to ph drop so i noticed that he's eye has turned cloudy. and slime coat coming off. so far my fish seem to be fine. but i'm afraid when i go to sleep ph might crash and i wake up finding my fish dead:(

my tank has ammonia. about 1 ppm? 0 nitrite and nitrate. ammonia has been a problem ever since my tanks ph crashed a monthe ago.

my tank is a 300 gallon tank with a 75 gallon sump. i have 6 kilos of crushed coral in my sump.
bare buttom, almost no decorations left.
just some powerheads.

i'm using baking soda. which should i check for kh or ph when using baking soda?
this ph problem is stressing me out :( i don't understand what could be causing this?
tapwater ph 7.5 kh at 3
i already removed a canister which i thought might be causing the problem, now i've also disconnected a overhead filter. currently running filters are a 15 gal sump and a 75 gal sump. filled with matala mats. ceramic rings and bio home and 6 kilos crushed corals.
all media are almost bnew.

btw no co2. ever since last month my ph crahsed i've been doing daily water change of 50% or more.
 
yeah...the Ph crash will inhibit nitrosomonas activity severely, hence your ammonia problems...what is your Ph of source water, when left standing for 24 hours in a shallow disk ?

if you have a Kh test use that too (on the source water) and post the results.

what is/was your maintenance regime (water change % and frequency) leading up to the crash/now ?
 
Coler said:
yeah...the Ph crash will inhibit nitrosomonas activity severely, hence your ammonia problems...what is your Ph of source water, when left standing for 24 hours in a shallow disk ?

if you have a Kh test use that too (on the source water) and post the results.

what is/was your maintenance regime (water change % and frequency) leading up to the crash/now ?
Click to expand...
our tap waters ph is 7.5 kh is 3
i haven't tried leaving it overnight and testing it. but my other tanks seem to be fine. ?
water change for this big tank has been almost daily 50% or more wc for the past month. i'm also getting tired :(
right now my big tanks kh is at 2. trying to get it up.
I'm afraid to go to sleep :( if i get my ph to 7.5 can i go to sleep? or will i expect my tanks ph to crash when i go to sleep :(
 
Last edited:
Not personal experience or anything and it might not help, but I was reading on an arrowana website that said due to the fact that the fish is very dirty that they need huge tanks and lots of filtration to maintain water conditions.

I have no idea what size your fish are but my understanding is that overstocked tanks are prone to this sort of thing. They had one medium size not quite full grown golden tail in a 260 gal. with 2 canister filters and some other filter going at the same time.

I personally keep tiny fish so take this with a grain of salt etc.
 
thanks mr key :)
i think my tanks not overstocked right now.

btw using baking soda to raise kh will it raise ph instantly? or will it raise ph gradually?
how many tablespoon of baking soda do i need to raise the kh in my tank from 2 to 3?
tank size is 300 gal.
 
kH of 3 -4 is low but to be honest I have a similar kH and my tanks remain pretty stable.

there could be something in the tank which is altering the pH but if the kH is dropping it may be precipitating out .

you have used crush coral are you using a staging tank for water changes? you may need to do that is the kH is unstable.

you can use crushed coral in the staging tank. you may also want to look at buffers to add to the tank too.
do you have a gH reading?
 
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