pH question

MikeO

MikeO

AC Members
Dec 7, 2004
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Pittsburgh, PA
www.mikeoconnor.net
I am experincing a pH drop in my tank and I don't know what is causing it, I tested the amonia and nitrites and they are both at 0ppm. What could be causing the problem? I remember reading some where the CO2 affects the pH, but I can not remember if to much or too litter causes it to drop. I have also noted a drop in the KH also. Could there be a CO2 and O2 problem? the fish look fine.

Right now I am starting a slow addition of sodium bicarbonate, and tomorrow I am going to buy some pH buffer (7.0)

My questions are, if it is a drop in CO2 should I do a CO2 injection, is it to much CO2 (how do I get ride of the CO2, other then water changes, I will do once a day if I have to, I have 4 filters going so I am agatating the water alot)

will the pH buffer work? do I need to get the pH up to the needed amount before I add the buffer?

I just checked the tap water (some that I am aging for the next water change and it came out normal 7.0)

KH droped from 5 to 0 and ph droped from 7 to 6 over a period of 1 week
 
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Peat, tannins, driftwood?

How many fish you got in there?

Seems too extreme for bioacidification, but the whole nitrogen cycle bit tends to make tanks become more acidic over time (this is called bioacidifcation). What kind of water changes are you doing?

CO2 is added to planted tanks for the (very great) benefit it gives the plants. When dissolved in water, some of it turns into carbonic acid which makes the water more acidic, not less. Just from the atmosphere, its not what's causing your problem.

Some source of acid is eating away your KH which is letting your pH slide down.

I'd confirm your test results with the LFS and, if it remains a problem, add a bit of crushed coral to your filter in a mesh filter bag. Its the very easiest, safest and most stable way to bump up your KH, which will in turn keep your pH where you want it to be. Skip the Perfectly Neutral Chemicals Up and Down stuff.

What size is your tank?
 
Ok I don't have any peat, tannins or driftwood (the driftwood would look nice, but I don't have any)

tank size if 20 gallon and I have 9 Red Eyes and 4 Neons and a whole lot of snails (started with 3)
The snails have added something new in the last week, alot of them are dieing from crawling into the fillter intakes (could thier deaths and resulting decompsion be causing the pH drop, I can not just take them out since the snails are getting stuck in the fillter media.

from what you said about the CO2 is it posable that I have to much of it? I will take some water with me tomorrow to have the LFS test it to see what they get. And I will look into getting some coral.
 
Yet again, I think I might have to get the LSF to check it, I am starting to belive that the test kit is borked, I added less then 1 teaspoon of SB and wanted 20 minutes, then did the 20% water change cleaned all the filters, then wanted 10 minutes checked the pH again, and I was reading 7.0 so eather the test kit is borked or my fish are going to die from a full 1 change in the pH. I hope and pray that it is just a borked test kit.
 
I'm quite new to the whole fish tank scene, but from what I've read - isn't a daily 50% water change a lot? :eek:

If I had to guess, I would say something like that would put a lot of unneeded stress on the fish.

Some one please interject if I'm wrong. ;)
 
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itswoodie,no a 50% water change is not to much, I know back the first time I was doing fish it was thought to be to much, the from what I read from now, is that if you do regulare water changes your fish will not suffer from a 50% water change and there are other benifites to a larger water change, the nitrAtes will stay a bit lower. And for a planted tank, you will be adding in some more of the trace elements that they have used up. A large water change is good, but you can not just do a large water change once a month you have you do it on a weekly basis.

Also make sure you age, or treate the water before you put it in your tank.

also last note, about the pH problem and the apperant drastic change last night, well this morrning all my fish are still alive so the test kit has got to be bad because if I remember right such a massive change in the pH will kill fish fast ( well the massive change the test kit was saying 5.0 -> 7.0 ) so I am not to have to get a new test kit this one is not correct.

But one last question remains, due to the scare I had last night do I want to buy a pH buffer for the tank. I don't want to raise the pH if it is ok, but do I want to raise the KH and GH? and should I?
 
You don't need to buy a buffer if you've got sodium bicarb - I'd be willing to bet the commercial buffer is sodium bicarb.

Can you tell us what your KH is, and what the KH of your tapwater is?
 
Sounds like you had an ammonia spike MikeO, due to all the snail deaths a spike in the ammonia will cause the PH to plummet. You definately don't want to use any kind of commercial product to buffer a tank. It's only temporary and is not a good solution. In order for the PH to drop that much in such a short period your test kit would have to be botched. Peat or CO2 will cause your ph to go down and your water to soften. Again commercial products are a waste of money and dangerous to use over a long period of time. Use natural resources.

Crushed coral - ph buffering
Peat - water softening
driftwood - water softening
Indian almond leaves - water softening
Calcium based rocks - ph buffering.

when using calcium in your water you don't want to use very much or you'll raise the ph too high.Never jump at altering water chemistry, do research on your water first before you just decide to start altering the natural chemistry of your water for no reason.

All in all if your fish are still alive after that high of a drop in ph I would suspect that your test kit is expired (yes the expire).
 
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