# PH is constantly low.



## Peter 3.0L (Apr 22, 2010)

What is it about my tank that would cause the PH to be low? Other than gravel and plants there is only driftwood in the tank. Is driftwood acidic? The ammonia and nitrite/nitrate levels are fine just the PH is constantly low. If any more detail is required to diagnose this issue let me know and i can fill in the blanks.

Cheers,

Peter


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

What is the kh\gh? You'll probably find your alkalinity is really low, I believe raising it should have a positive effect on your PH level.


Where is your ph level currently at???


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## plantedinvertz (Apr 21, 2010)

driftwood is acidic


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

plantedinvertz said:


> driftwood is acidic


Yes it is, the nitrogenous waste is acidic, which is why he has low PH in all probability. To fix this you'll need to look into your KH level, it is your buffer, and it should prevent the PH from lowering so drastically. There should be no reason you can't have driftwood in your tank.

Do let us know what your PH and KH levels are.


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## fisher (Sep 14, 2010)

crushed coral will raise your ph buffer i believe ..


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## Peter 3.0L (Apr 22, 2010)

effox said:


> What is the kh\gh? You'll probably find your alkalinity is really low, I believe raising it should have a positive effect on your PH level.
> 
> Where is your ph level currently at???


PH is currently sitting at about 5.5-6 It is a planted tank so the carbon dioxide given off by the plants could be causing it as well. Not sure what my kh/gh is at as i don't have test kits for them.  I should pick one up asap. I have added some crushed coral sand to the tank but would prefer a permanent fix rather than a temporary one.

Cheers,

Peter


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

That's very low. You'll find you have a KH of 0 probably... I would definitely look into picking up a KH\GH test kit ASAP as you mentioned.

*I'd also look into buffers available at that store* that aren't listed as a sodium bicarbonate primary ingredient, you'll add this during water changes or as necessary and *you should slowly raise your ph levels* while bringing your KH level to a good level if you follow the directions on the back of the bottle. Typically *you don't want to raise your PH anymore then .4 in a day*, you can harm your fish by doing more, especially in such a drastically low ph that you currently have.

Go to Island Pets Unlimited if you can, their staff will definitely help you out if you ask about buffering. Grant (Rastapus) has been helping us out in his threads, take a look for better understanding of your situation:

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/island-pets-unlimited-42/water-supply-issue-lower-mainland-715/

http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/island-pets-unlimited-42/adjusting-hardness-your-aquarium-7033/


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

what type of fish are you keeping? What is the ph coming out of your tap. a lot of fish from south America can Handel the low ph. My tank gets that low too but i'm keeping discus but when my ph gets that low i use it as an indication for me to do a water change. How long has your ph been that low? Be Careful not to raise the ph to fast you will kill your fish . The best way to raise your ph is by doing more water changes and adding buffer after each change . It will take you a week or so to get the ph you want. This what works for me . imo


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## pistolpete (May 2, 2010)

If you have just added crushed coral, then don't do anything else. Wait for a week or two and see if the Ph has stabilized at a higher level. In the gravel it will take about one handful/10 gallons of crushed coral to raise and stabilize the PH at about 6.8 to 7. This is assuming lower mainland water and weekly 20%WC. 

Decaying plant leaves and driftwood both lower PH and with the soft water you get in the lower mainland that gives the results you have witnessed. Crushed coral is a permanent solution, it lasts for many years.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

pistolpete said:


> If you have just added crushed coral, then don't do anything else. Wait for a week or two and see if the Ph has stabilized at a higher level. In the gravel it will take about one handful/10 gallons of crushed coral to raise and stabilize the PH at about 6.8 to 7. This is assuming lower mainland water and weekly 20%WC.
> 
> Decaying plant leaves and driftwood both lower PH and with the soft water you get in the lower mainland that gives the results you have witnessed. Crushed coral is a permanent solution, it lasts for many years.


Everybody knows I couldn't leave this one alone. Crushed coral will not fix your lack of hardness only correct your pH. Very low hardness can and does kill a lot of fish in the lower mainland, this is a fact. Crushed coral is a quick fix to the low pH and you will still have other related problems. Do it once and do it right, use buffer and salt.


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

bonsai dave said:


> what type of fish are you keeping? What is the ph coming out of your tap. a lot of fish from south America can Handel the low ph. My tank gets that low too but i'm keeping discus but when my ph gets that low i use it as an indication for me to do a water change. How long has your ph been that low? Be Careful not to raise the ph to fast you will kill your fish . The best way to raise your ph is by doing more water changes and adding buffer after each change . It will take you a week or so to get the ph you want. This what works for me . imo


This works great for my SA fish also. They seem far healthier at 6.8 ph than when I buffered up past 7.
Some fish prefer soft acidic water. Some cant handle it at all.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

gimlid said:


> This works great for my SA fish also. They seem far healthier at 6.8 ph than when I buffered up past 7.
> Some fish prefer soft acidic water. Some cant handle it at all.


Agreed but most cannot handle a hardness of 0 regardless of pH level.


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## waterlilly (Aug 22, 2010)

And that's exactly where I'm getting confused! The PH of our tap water has been 6.8 - 7lately, with a KH of next to nothing. Raising KH will send my PH through the roof, won't it? So, what is one to do?


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## ninez (Apr 21, 2010)

waterlilly said:


> And that's exactly where I'm getting confused! The PH of our tap water has been 6.8 - 7lately, with a KH of next to nothing. Raising KH will send my PH through the roof, won't it? So, what is one to do?


Raise GH not KH in this case.


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## waterlilly (Aug 22, 2010)

ninez said:


> Raise GH not KH in this case.


I was thinking of starting there as well. But isn't the KH more important for the well-being of fish?


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## Peter 3.0L (Apr 22, 2010)

So my tap water PH is 7-7.2, I did a 25% water change today and the tanks PH is sitting at around 6.6 - 6.8. I am on my way now to get kh/gh test kits. Is there one that is recommended?

Other things to possibly concider?!?!

Would dosing the tank with Flourish and Flourish Excel effect anything? The tank is a planted 130g. I am running a 25w Lifeguard UV steralizer and and not runing Co2. 

The fish list includes:

14 congo tetras
7 denasoni 
7 bosmani blue rainbows
8 small clown loaches 1.5"-2"
13 or so Cribs from my breeding pair that are in different stages of development
2 silver dollars 5-6"
6 adult angel fish 
6 baby angels twoonie size
4 cories
1 BNP 
2 chinese algea eaters

All seem healthy as they eat well at feeding times.


Cheers,

Peter


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## gimlid (Apr 23, 2010)

If your fish seem healthy and happy and are eating regular "I" wouldnt mess too much with it.
Several members including myself have casued more harm than good by trying to maintain ph at 7 and raise hardness levels.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

waterlilly said:


> And that's exactly where I'm getting confused! The PH of our tap water has been 6.8 - 7lately, with a KH of next to nothing. Raising KH will send my PH through the roof, won't it? So, what is one to do?


If you raise your KH a few degrees it will benefit your fish. The increase in pH will be minimal. The increase in pH is directly related to how high your KH is. If you raise your KH a little, your pH will raise a little.
Don't forget that most cities are coming out at 7.8 or higher, they don't have issues keeping fish because they are buying fish that have already been acclimated to these levels, and the fish are coming from hardwater conditions overseas. Yes maintaining optimal pH levels would be great but the majority of fish bred and reared for this hobby are in alkaline conditions.
Yes, raising GH is crucial to achieving Osmoregulation but not increasing KH is depriving fish of needed minerals, and maintaining a consistent pH level.


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

Peter 3.0L said:


> So my tap water PH is 7-7.2, I did a 25% water change today and the tanks PH is sitting at around 6.6 - 6.8. I am on my way now to get kh/gh test kits. Is there one that is recommended?
> 
> Other things to possibly concider?!?!
> 
> ...


Peter,
The API drip tests are my personal choice. Most of your fish are softwater fish so a GH and KH around 3 or 4 would be great. This would stabilize your pH aroud 7.2 and add the necessary minerals for your fish to thrive in.


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## donjuan_corn (May 6, 2010)

Take out the drift wood. I use driftwood to get me to 6.5


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## Rastapus (Apr 21, 2010)

gimlid said:


> If your fish seem healthy and happy and are eating regular "I" wouldnt mess too much with it.
> Several members including myself have casued more harm than good by trying to maintain ph at 7 and raise hardness levels.


We are too concerned with pH levels. A stable pH is what we are after, and minerals in the water to achieve healthy fish. Believe me, I would rather not do anything but I have seen what negatives that course achieves.


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## tang daddy (Apr 21, 2010)

Peter 3.0L said:


> PH is currently sitting at about 5.5-6 It is a planted tank so the carbon dioxide given off by the plants could be causing it as well. Not sure what my kh/gh is at as i don't have test kits for them.  I should pick one up asap. I have added some crushed coral sand to the tank but would prefer a permanent fix rather than a temporary one.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Peter


Hi Peter,just to let you know plants take in carbon and release oxygen...

With that said have you tried to add gh booster like cichlid buffer?
This should help stabilize ph....


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## Peter 3.0L (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks to everyone for the helpful information! Will update with my results over the next couple weeks.

Cheers,

Peter


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