PH unstable and dropping low

M

mdk2424

AC Members
Oct 20, 2008
12
0
0
56
Pawtucket, RI USA
Hi i am almost done cycling but since Thursday my Ph has been dropping to 6.0.

Tank conditions on day 52, I made a lot of mistakes in the beginning but thanks to this site getting me on the right track until now.
ammonia .025
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
PH 6.0
Temp 79
since Thursday i have added api PH up and it did go back up to 6.4 / 6.8 but then by next morning its down to 6.0
 
Stop adding the ph up to your tank. Its not going to do anything but cause your ph to bounce up and down because your water is buffering it.

Your ph is fine as it is.. If you insist on raising it, add a bit of crushed coral to a media bag and put it in your filter or in your tank. This should raise it to about 7.
 
Crushed coral is used as a substrate in some tanks. It helps to add a buffer as it slowly dissolves into the water column, slightly raising the KH and pH of the water, making it more stable.
 
Agree with sploke. The only thing I will add to that is adding a bit, say a handful or less, of crushed coral to your tank in a media bag will raise your ph as well as using it as a substrate.

Dolamite works to naturally raise the ph as well.
 
If you have had much higher pH in the past and it has just gone down during a fishless cycle, do a large water change to recharge the natural buffers in your tap water. Often a large water change will restore the chemical balance that is a part of your normal water from the tap. A pH of 6.0 can easily stall your cycle and prevent it from finishing. The low pH is the result of the cycle itself. When you convert ammonia to nitrite it is a nitrous acid which is then converted to a nitric acid by the nitrite processing bacteria. The acids you are making are causing the pH to go down in your unbuffered tank. If your KH is low, which it seems to be, the crushed coral will go a long ways to stabilizing things for your fish.
 
I actually went onto my local waterboards website to find out what my waters base ph level was when i was looking into setting up for apple snails. My base ph is 6.0- 6.4 so i added crushed coral to my snail tank to buffer the water instead of using chemicals that i didnt really need to use in my tank.
 
Hey, I wish I had that problem. I have very high pH due to my tap water I believe.
Pepe
 
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