infidsg35 said:
When I change water I add tap water to my bucket. I add Seachem 7.0 Buffer to buffer it to 7.0. Little Aqua Plus mix it up and pour it in.
The Ph out of the tap is 7.6 I dont not know what the KH is. I will test that tonight too..
I started using the buffer cause my GH was realy low(1). It wasnt holding the PH stable. My PH was always 7.6 until adding plants. Then it dropped realy quick to somewhere under 6.0. Fish didnt like that at all! So now that I use the buffer the PH stays at 7 and my GH went up to 6. I believe my KH went from 1 to 3 since also. I started doing this about a month ago.
I would recommened highly that you stop buffering the pH down to 7.0. It causes instability and it could be affecting your KH as well.
Most likely when your pH dropped down to 6, it was because your KH was reduced to 0. Your biofilter needs a source of bicarbonate to survive and reproduce, without that you compromise your biofilter. This is usually referred to as a "pH crash".
My tap water pH is 7.4-7.8 with 1-3 dKH (depending on the time of year). In order to make your tank safe for CO2 injection you really need to add crushed coral and/or aragonite sand to your filter to bring the KH and pH UP, not down.
Once you add the coral, add a level tsp of baking soda mixed with a gallon of tank water to your tank. This should increase your KH to at least 5 as a temporary measure and provide stability until you do another waterchange. Don't use baking soda as a long-term solution, however.
Start injecting the CO2 again and keep an eye on your pH and KH levels. I suggest monitoring them at least daily. I check mine every morning, noon and night when first establishing a tank on a CO2 system or after I make a major change in bubble rate.
The addition of CO2 to any tank will cause a drop in pH. As the PH drops below 7.0, the coral will dissolve into the water column and buffer the KH up, preventing pH crashes and providing a "permanent" cushion for your tank.
Once the coral starts to dissolve and the KH climbs above 5 (or wherever the baking soda landed you), stop using the baking soda during waterchanges. The KH from the coral will hold during changes and provide stablility.
Fish will adjust to change in pH. What they cannot adjust to are sudden changes and TDS.
The only other thing I would mention is the bioload problem. Certainly look at trimming the fish out of your tank. You'll find it far easier to manage everything without such a massive load on the system.
Roan
