Help, Such A Mess

[Joinerlavin]

So I am about 35 days into a fishless cycle and my ph has been giving me hell, droping from 7.6 to 6.4 daily. This meant me doing daily water changes which seemed pointless as the readings where allways the same everyday.
So I read a thread about baking soda and put 7 teaspoons of that in my tank to raise the KH because the KH in the tap water was 0. This did not go to plan, got in today and the filter was clogged up and not working (dont know how long for), and the tank was just cloudy and could not see anything, I have 2 crypt plants in the tank and they have not had any proper light for a day because of the murky water, I did a 50% water change tonite and its still murky and sticky white backing powder all over my filter (I took my filter out, put the sponges in the tank water and cleaned the clogging). The plants are full of this white mess aswell.

Can I uproot the pants clean them under the tap and trim the roots and re-plant them, and what is the easiest way of cleaning my tank and trying to complete my cycle without using backing soda, I have some ph up.

thanks

 

[rabbut]

pH up will be temerary with no KH

Waterchange, and run the decor under the tap. Rince out the filter again in old tank water. This will wash the Baking Soda off. It's a pain to disolve, and idealy first wants to be disolved in about 1-2l of water before being added to the tank.

Once things have cleared up, I'd try adding some Coral gravel, about 1tsp per 10g, to the filter. This should stabilise your pH and prevent any issues... For a cycle though, it possibly shouldn't be used on it's own if you intend to put in "general tropicals", so add mebe 4-5tsp of the Baking soda to a 1l jug of hot (nearly boiling) water and stir untill disolved. Once disolved, leave to cool and add to the tank

With low KH, you will have an unstable pH with fish in also. Coral gravel is a more long-term fix to the issue preventing a pH crash once fish are in

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Joinerlavin]

what about the plants, can I uproot them and trim then down and re-plant them, and can I put the coral gravel in my tank with my substrate because my filter is internal and dont know if I can put the gravel inside?

 

[Joinerlavin]

do they sell black coral, so that I can put that with my existing black substrate, or should I just buy normal and put it under the black substrate.

 

[matchstickman47]

with the baking soda disolve it in tank water seperatly first then ad it dont just clump it in

 

[OldMan47]

Sorry to hear about your troubles JoinerLavin. Contrary to what Rabbut said, bicarbonate of soda does specifically add lots of carbonate ions, which is the very essence of carbonate hardness, KH. 7 teaspoons of it in any but the largest of tanks would definitely be way too much. Small amounts, well dissolved in the water work very well to raise pH and KH. As I say, whenever I recommend it, it is not a thing to use long term in any tank but can be useful during a fishless cycle. If you have inadvertently used baking powder instead of baking soda, I have no idea what the chemical reactions may be, it is not the right chemical and does not dissolve nearly as well. I know that from cooking, not from aquariums. In your situation, I would gravel vac all that you can to get the powder off the plants and maybe do a couple of water changes to reduce the amount of stuff floating around in the water.

 

[Joinerlavin]

ok thanks, can anyone say what I can do with the real plants???

 

[rabbut]

Rince under the tap to clean them up. Feel free to trim while at it

Both Baking Powder and Baking Soda will work to up the KH and pH, but don't think about Baking Powder with fish in the tank Fine for fishless cycle's though

Coral Gravel is best in teh filter where possible. It's going to do very little under the substrate I'd use the gravel long-term, and the powder/soda for the cycle also. 7 spoons is way more than you need, but it will definately ensure that pH does not crash

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Joinerlavin]

tried baking soda today, its fine, no cloudyness and dissovles great, would not recommend baking powder.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

hmmmmmm the 7 teaspoons (because it's a 7 gallon tank) was taken from this quote from rabbut the other day on pH crashes

2) Adding Baking Powder or Baking Soda will raise the KH and hence pH. This method is best for those with low-to-mid KH readings and is a short-term fix for a mid-cycle crash. Use about 1 tea spoon per gallon to start and work from there.

i'm lucky with my pH and KH and consequently have never had to use bicarb so have to advise on 2nd hand info. can you explain why everyone said this guide is fine at this level then you're all saying it's too much now ???

 

[Craster]

1 tsp per 10gal is the usual recommendation.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ah must be a type-o in the guide......

 

[Joinerlavin]

just cleaned the whole tank, took me forever to get rid of the stuff

 

[rabbut]

hmmmmmm the 7 teaspoons (because it's a 7 gallon tank) was taken from this quote from rabbut the other day on pH crashes

2) Adding Baking Powder or Baking Soda will raise the KH and hence pH. This method is best for those with low-to-mid KH readings and is a short-term fix for a mid-cycle crash. Use about 1 tea spoon per gallon to start and work from there.

i'm lucky with my pH and KH and consequently have never had to use bicarb so have to advise on 2nd hand info. can you explain why everyone said this guide is fine at this level then you're all saying it's too much now ???

I use 1tsp per gallon. Yes, overkill, but it guarrentees that the pH will remain put You must use less once fish are in the tank With fish in, 1tsp per 10g as Craster says is the maximum recomended. Personally, with fish in, I'd start with 1tsp per 20g and go from there. Moving the KH can stress the fish. pH shock, from my belief, does not exist. What many aquarists refur to as pH shock is actually KH shock, as this affects how well a fish can excrete ammonia and other things from the gills. A fish can alter its' internal pH by 3-5points within about 15mins max of the water changing pH, whereas more time is required to adjust to a change in KH

Anyhow, the guide is what I would use for a fishlesss cycle. Mebe I need to edit to prevent potential disasters with fish-in cycles?

All the best
Rabbut

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yes perhaps just a sentence or two to clarify in what circumstances you should use each measurement.