Im Baffled

[tonydb]

Heya again guys.
 
My tank seems to be now cycled im adding ammonia and 24hrs later its gone with no sign of nitrites and nitrates are at a safe level.
 
My problem is the PH level has again dropped to around 6 ,I did a 40% water change and tested the next day and the Ph was still 6 (i didnt test straight after the Water change),the only thing i can think is the dechlorinator im using isnt the best at explaining how much to use (inner capful for 26l and outer capful for 52l,or something like that),Does the dechlorinator alter the PH level??
 
If not what is doing it??
 
Are the PH up/down products out there any good? and do you have to keep dosing with them?
 
I've just looked elsewhere and seen that driftwood can affect the Ph level ,which i do has some in my tank..should i remove it?

 

[Chad]

Are you testing the pH at the same time? It fluctuates naturally throughout the day naturally so if taken at different times can seem to be off but really it's not. That's always the first thing I check because it's often overlooked.

 

[rms]

Your pH shouldn't be altered by dechlorinator. 
 
I've never used up/down products, but they are widely considered to be a waste of money and risky in terms of fish health, and yes, you have to keep adding them. They also cause unatural swings in pH, which will stress your fish more than adapting to a pH outside what they're used to. It's better to leave things as they are and let your fish adapt to your natural pH levels. 
 
It's good to go for fish with a wide pH tolerance if you're starting out, in which case you have nothing to worry about

 

[tonydb]

I tested my water from the tap today and it was around the 7.6 mark.
 
I tested my tank water approx 24 hrs after a 40% water change and it had dropped to 6 Ph ??

 

[malfunction]

I've never heard of dechlorinator affecting pH, so I doubt that's the issue. Driftwood can lower your pH, so perhaps that's what's altering you pH levels. It might be worth taking it out to see if it makes a difference. pH altering products can work, but personally I think they're more hassle (and risk) than they're worth.

 

[tonydb]

took my driftwood out and after a 50% wc and then tested the next morning the PH is back down to 6 again???
 
Really doing my head in now cause the tank is cycled and i wanna put fish in but this Ph issues is driving me bonkers.
 
Ive read crushed coral can help so im thinking of that,i know i can put some fish in at this ph but i would like a slightly higher reading so i have more choice of what species to have.
 
Plus i cant seem to find anywhere that tells me what fish will survive in what PH water.
 
I would like a pleq some swordtails,few neons,still totally undecided as of yet tbh

 

[malfunction]

If it's the driftwood that's affecting your pH then it's possible that you won't see a change immediately. Presumably, it's been in your tank for a number of weeks? If so, it's probably been leeching tannins into your tank throughout this period and so may take a number of water changes before it matches your tap water.

If it isn't your driftwood, it could also be your substrate (some sands and gravels alter pH), decorations/ornaments or filter media/inserts. Also, when you tested your tap water, did you test it straight away or did you wait 24 hours?

Many fish originate from acidic conditions (e.g many tetras, South American cichlids, etc...) so don't worry if you're stuck with low ph. There will still be a variety of fish to choose from.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Have you ever tested the tap water after just letting it sit for 24 hours - but not in the tank?  I'd suggest that would be a worthwhile test to do.  The pH the water comes out of the pipe and the pH it finally settles at after 24 hours are not the same, most times.  So, you may want to find out what your true base tap water pH is.

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Also, you can put it in cups, one with substrate, one with a tiny piece of wood, one with an airstone, one with nothing, and one wth any rocks. I did this and found out what drops my pH from 8.2 to 6.6 in the tank.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

 few notes
 
Most of the substrate and rocks we can put into our tanks that will affect pH are things that raise rather than lower it. Using almond leaves and driftwood will often get more staining in one's than lowering of pH or hardness. A big key on the pH end is what one's KH is. This is what works to hold pH steady. So adding wood and leaves may drop pH and hardness in one tank and not in another.
 
Next, cycling a tank with a pH of 6 works differently that cycling a tank for pH from 6.5-9.5. It has to do with how much of the ammonia will be in the form of NH3, which the bacteria want, vs NH4 which is less suitable as an energy source. It turns out that some of the ammonia bacteria does have specific receptors for taking in NH4, but this is not the preferred method and is much less efficient. The process of cycling a tank for lower pH levels  (6 and lower) is a stepped process. You start with a tank fully cycled at 7.0 and then you take the pH downs in about .2 increments. At each step you again add ammonia and wait for the bacteria that can function in acid water reproduce. This step precess is continued until the desired pH has been reached and the ammonia is processed at that level.
 
Since very few fish keepers keep real acid water tanks, this is rarely an issue. I rarely suggest that folks alter their natural tap parameters, But in cases of low pH and KH this may be a necessity. If one must change theior tap parameters, there are two basic guidelines to follow regarding water changes. The goal is to hold tank parameters fairly steady. either you pretreat the changing water to match the tank and do a normal weekly change of 35-50% or else you do several smaller changes a few days apart with your tap so that the tap will not radically alter the parameters. That was things like crushed coral can take effect if raising pH or other things can lower pH. Often to lower pH one has to use some amount of ro water.