Sudden Drop in PH

[El Bob]

I'm fairly new to fishkeeping, but I've been having some success with my aquarium. However, yesterday my PH dropped suddenly from it's usual number of 6.7 to 5.4. Two things happened which might have changed things. First, I did a water change of 10 gallons (the tank is 72 gallons), which I do once a week. Second, the bubble counter on my Co2 system developed a crack (I have no idea how that happened), so I had to shut the system off.

I assume the CO2 being off is the culprit, but I need some help. The fish in the tank are all, I think, low PH fish (serpae tetras, neon tetras, bolivian rams, and sterbai cories), but 5.4 is pretty low. What negative effects will this low number have on the fish? Also, how can I get the PH to come back up? I thought it might be a temporary thing, but I checked this morning, and it is still 5.4.

Any advice?

 

[aaauto]

I'm a rookie so just listen to me.. Don't act on it... Co2 will lower ph, so with yours off it should be coming up.. Also I use regular arm & hammer baking soda in very small increments to raise my ph. Good Luck!

 

[BettaFishMommy]

its best to not go messing with ph with the use of chemicals or buffers. as long as your fish are looking and acting healthy i wouldn't worry about changing anything.

ph level changes are not harmful to fish the way everyone thinks. it is the kh, gh, and tds (total dissolved solids) in the water that should remain stable and not jump around in numbers too much.

 

[Cerianthus]

Drastic/Sudeen pH shift are detrimental to fish. I bet no one will add enough agent to drop ph from 7 to 5 nor 6 to 8 in one shot?

Before doing any, how about testing once more? Did you happen to tank pH reading very early in the morning (before lighting was turned on). If so. check again at noon with clean vial.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

I'd have your pH tested by another source just to verify that it is indeed that low. IMO, 5.4 is way too low and could very well have a negative impact on your fish and biofilter.
What is your KH?

 

[KarlTh]

Drastic/Sudeen pH shift are detrimental to fish. I bet no one will add enough agent to drop ph from 7 to 5 nor 6 to 8 in one shot?

Actually, I move fish from my pH7.4 QT tank to my pH 6.4 display tank routinely with no ill effects.

 

[Cerianthus]

Actually, I move fish from my pH7.4 QT tank to my pH 6.4 display tank routinely with no ill effects.

I am confident that you would not take a boxful of discus from 6.4 and just drop them to 7.4 water or boxful of live beares from 7.4 to 6.4 without proper acclimation. Even with proper acclimation, prolonged exposure to extreme condition is not the objective of fish keeping, IMHO.

I know I and many others can achieve what you claim and have done so for many decades (depending on species) but would not recommend such practices to others without the risks involved.

I wonder what would happen to our skin if constantly exposed to water that is too acidic or too alkaline????
Am I to assume that our skin will get used such extreme conditins? I remember developing skin isuues when constantly exposed to hard water (pretty much whole day, 24/7/365).
I read enough threads on GH/KH but health of gill and their ability to perform their functions to maximum ability are more important. If for some reasons, their gill functions are hindered(irritated gills due to exposure to extreme pH/NH3 etc, etc), KH/GH is secondary issues.

Maintaining healthy gill filaments are one of most important aspects of fish keeping, IMHO.

 

[El Bob]

It did come back up a little, but it's still only 5.7. I have a digital PH reader, so I think it's ok. I have an API chemical test kit, but it doesn't have KH. My neighbor has some tanks, but all he had was test strips. The strips indicated that the KH was between 40 and 80. They also agreed that the PH was low. I don't see any changes in the fish's behavior.

Any ideas what I should do, or do I just have to ride it out?

 

[KarlTh]

I am confident that you would not take a boxful of discus from 6.4 and just drop them to 7.4 water or boxful of live beares from 7.4 to 6.4 without proper acclimation. Even with proper acclimation, prolonged exposure to extreme condition is not the objective of fish keeping, IMHO.

I know I and many others can achieve what you claim and have done so for many decades (depending on species) but would not recommend such practices to others without the risks involved.

I wonder what would happen to our skin if constantly exposed to water that is too acidic or too alkaline????
Am I to assume that our skin will get used such extreme conditins? I remember developing skin isuues when constantly exposed to hard water (pretty much whole day, 24/7/365).
I read enough threads on GH/KH but health of gill and their ability to perform their functions to maximum ability are more important. If for some reasons, their gill functions are hindered(irritated gills due to exposure to extreme pH/NH3 etc, etc), KH/GH is secondary issues.

Maintaining healthy gill filaments are one of most important aspects of fish keeping, IMHO.

*sigh* I'm sure we've had this before.

The pHs we're talking about are not extreme. Extreme is below 4.5-5.5 (depending on fish) or above 8.5-9.5 (again, depending on fish). pHs within these ranges are not "too acid" nor "too alkaline". The answer to what would happen to our skin if constantly exposed to pHs in these sorts of ranges is "bugger all". GH/KH are not secondary because they reflect TDS, which dictates the osmotic characteristics of the water. Rapidly changing TDS can cause rapid dehydration or overhydration of both the intra- and extra-cellular environments in fish because they do not have watertight skin. I have seen no evidence, either documentary or experiential, to imply that pH changes within the ranges normally seen in aquaria have any long term affect on gill function.

And as long as the TDS was not different between the waters in question, I would indeed quite happily move both groups of fish as you describe. I moved some platys only the other day from 7.4 to 6.4. They were as happy as larry from the moment they swam into the display tank.

 

[SubRosa]

Drastic/Sudeen pH shift are detrimental to fish. I bet no one will add enough agent to drop ph from 7 to 5 nor 6 to 8 in one shot?

Before doing any, how about testing once more? Did you happen to tank pH reading very early in the morning (before lighting was turned on). If so. check again at noon with clean vial.

Wanna bet? A rapid rise from 6 to 8 is pretty much what happens when the rainy season hits in the tropics. Rapid drops are much more stressful. And the same holds true for TDS as well, rapid lowerings are much better tolerated than rapid rises.