ph and plants.

Ok, i will monitor my water for next couple days. The water change is almout due. Baking soda hmm, teaspoon pre 10gallons feels like alot (50gal). I read somewhere that u whould avoid changing your ph more then 0.5 day due to stresss level of all life in the tank. These measurements add around that amount of a increase?

(brb driving gf to work :))
 
I would wait for more advice from someone who had simmilar problems.
Baking soda is not an easy way to go.

From what I read:
See first what is your GH and KH?
A very low KH with pH swings is a problem.
GH needs to be stable.
Most use crushed corral to up the PH.
Your KH is going to change with the crushed coral also.

As for the crushed coral, you need to leave it in place. It will change your pH accroding to your tank chemistry.

You really need to keep an eye on things for a while to see where things will level out.
 
I currnely don't have a kh/gh test kit (im going to get them soon) What is a good kh/gh level to have?

Questions seem to always spwan new questions :P
 
Deneault said:
Ok, i will monitor my water for next couple days. The water change is almout due. Baking soda hmm, teaspoon pre 10gallons feels like alot (50gal). I read somewhere that u whould avoid changing your ph more then 0.5 day due to stresss level of all life in the tank. These measurements add around that amount of a increase?

(brb driving gf to work :))
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I do it to the water I am adding to the tank- and I add the same each time so the pH in theory stays fairly level. I have a 55 gallon- but if I do a 25 gallon water change I add 2½ teaspoons.

I would agree- IF you go that route that you do increment slowly up to the desired level.
 
Deneault said:
Hi
Also im guessing this is whats is causing my plants to look a little ill. getting some brownish tips and transparent/brown spots, on the older leafs... the new ones looks great. my fish seem great, but i bet its not ideal ph levels for them. Also can this ph level help aglea? ive getting a hairly like algea on my plants. my bristlenose clean the glass n everything esle beside my plants.
Click to expand...

Let's back up and ask review the basics before you start messing with the pH. You pH is still well withing the acceptable range for most plants.

What's wrong with your plants is most likely nutrient deficiency. Nitrogen deficiency is the most common. What are your current nitrate readings? If they are below 10-20ppm you may need to supplement. It could also be molybdenum deficiency. Are you fertilizing your plants? If not you'll need to start. Or if you are you may need to increase your dosage.

Messing with the pH is the last thing that you want to do. A stable pH is very important. Adding in crushed coral will increase the hardness of the water which will make the pH less likely to change and maybe raise the pH slightly. However if your tap is at 6.0 and your tank is at 5.5 it doesn't seem that out of speck to me.
 
My nitrate is 5 so the test kit says, im going to guess thats ppm. I do use ferts, "Seachem's flourish" i dose 1 cap a week, and my current tank is 50g. I currently dont have that many plants in my tank is 5ppm ok? ive got 5-6 atm, 2 are fairly large.

I've got a few resons for my concerned state of ph. One is 5.5 seems fairly low, i was under the impresstion that 6-7 is where it should be. Also ive got a new tank project that im slowly working on, making sure this time around that im fully equiped for the type of tank that i got pictured. This is going to be a heavy planted with co2 which will yet again lower ph levels. In the next few days im going to buy a kh and gh test kit, aswell as some others i want to invest in to ensure my new tank has all the nutients needed.

You beleive i shouldn't add somthing to increase my ph? Options so far being crushed coral, baking soda and ph up. (thats in the order that i think works best aswell, im unsure)

Also the fish im keeping says i should have ph 6-7 i think one is ok in 5.5
 
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Are you injecting CO2, and if so do you know what ppm CO2 you have? If your baseline tap pH is 6.0 and your tank pH is 5.5, then it would make sense if you are injecting CO2.

Plants care more about water hardness than pH, and I bet your water is ridiculously soft. I would look up your local municipal water supply water chart and see what the hardness is of your tap. Try to find the hardness (CaCO2) and TDS (total dissolved solids)
 
Not feedin any co2 at the moment. GH is the test of water hardness correct? also where might i find this cart? just look up water sluppy online for my area?
 
Congratulations!! we have a clear answer. For the plants the nitrates are too low. 5 ppm definitely falls under the deficient category.

Under nitrogen deficient conditions the plants transport nitrogen from the older leaves to the younger ones. This causes the older leaves to brown and die.

What is your current stocking? If there is room in the tank adding a few more fish/invertebrates may be beneficial. If there is not room for more critters you will need to begin dosing a nitrate fertilizer. Flourish contains very little nitrogen because in aquariums having too much nitrogen is more common than not enough.

From what you are describing there is no reason to suspect the pH. A difference of 0.5 between the tap and a planted tank is within the normal range. It is caused by a combination of added acid from CO2 and free H+ ions as the plants absorb the negatively charged nitrate.

5.5 pH is a perfectly normal range for most plants. As long as the pH is not fluctuating wildly or going below 5.0 there is no reason to take measures to adjust or balance it.
 
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