Low Ph

[jarcher1390]

my ph has recently crashed through the floor i did a water change is there any way of getting it from 5 back to 6.8 i dont wanna use buffer i would like a long term solution thanks

 

[-germ-]

Sounds like old tank syndrome....
Research this, i believe its just a case of regular water changes to remove hydrogen ions and dilute what remains as well as gradually bumping the tanks PH back into line with that of your tapwater.
Unless your tank isn't that old, then i guess i'm talking nonsense, but i'm rushing, c'est la vie.....

 

[backtotropical]

IMO the easiest long term solution is to mix in a handful of coral gravel or coral sand into your substrate. Leave for a few days then test the PH. If it's not high enough, just repeat the process until you get the PH to sit constantly at the required level. Hope this helps.

 

[-germ-]

Definately worth doing if your taps PH needs bumping up, i do it myself....
But, if, as seems to have been implied by the OP; the PH has taken a sudden drop, then you need to understand and deal with the cause to prevent further mishap or tank problems....
Rather than simply bumping it up and forgetting it ever happened.

 

[jarcher1390]

the problem seems to be that ma tap water seems to be too soft and it does sound like old tank syndrome will oyster-shell do the trick

 

[-germ-]

Ummm....
How long has the tank been set up for?

 

[rdd1952]

I agree with using some crushed coral or maybe putting in a piece of tufa rock. Both will give you buffering capacity naturally without having to monitor weekly and add something else. They both do take a little trial and error to get to where you want them but after that you don't have to worry. The crushed coral placed in your filter along with the other media seems to work best for me. It only takes a small amount (about a teaspoonful for my 29 gallon tank) to keep it in the upper 6s (my tap is about 72 and my GH and KH are both 0).

 

[Amunet]

We're using coral and putting in baking soda in our 28gallon.
The fishless cycling process made the ph drop so low that it stalled the bacteria and the coral I added into the tank was not helping raise it back up at all.
So it was recommended to me on another forum to use some baking soda and it worked like a charm. Our pH was at 5something.. added in a little less than 2 teaspoons of baking soda (dissolved first in some tank water then added to the tank) and pH is staying at a steady 7.0.
I think once the tank has matured more, going to try to use less of it to see if the coral will keep it up enough.

 

[rdd1952]

I think the coral will be able to handle it on its own once the cycling is finished. What your looking for is buffering capacity which the baing soda adds but coral can do the same thing once you find the right amount.

 

[-germ-]

Surely though (please tell me if i'm wrong ) if it is Old Tank Syndrome, water changes would be the best way forward before making what may be an unnecessary additon?
Would the buffering capacity not be restored with the water changes?

 

[rdd1952]

the problem seems to be that ma tap water seems to be too soft

Surely though (please tell me if i'm wrong ) if it is Old Tank Syndrome, water changes would be the best way forward before making what may be an unnecessary additon?
Would the buffering capacity not be restored with the water changes?

If his water is too soft, water changes probably won't do any good to restore BC. My tap water has 0 BC so even if I did a 100% water change, I'd still have no BC.

 

[-germ-]

Guess so....
But he did mention it had dropped from a higher PH...
Why would the PH have dived from 6.8 to 5 unless there had been a buffer already added to the tank or if the tank is cycling.
Info is a bit confusing, probably been on too long.
Repeat the question; How old is the tank? How long has it been set up for? Also what are the exact stats for your tap water?

 

[BigC]

Sodium Bicarbonate

To raise both GH and KH simultaneously, add calcium carbonate (CaCO3). 1/2 teaspoon per 100 liters of water will increase both the KH and GH by about 1-2 dH. Alternatively, add some sea shells, coral, limestone, marble chips, etc. to your filter.

To raise the KH without raising the GH, add sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), commonly known as baking soda. 1/2 teaspoon per 100 Liters raises the KH by about 1 dH. Sodium bicarbonate drives the pH towards an equilibrium value of 8.2.

 

[jarcher1390]

Guess so....
But he did mention it had dropped from a higher PH...
Why would the PH have dived from 6.8 to 5 unless there had been a buffer already added to the tank or if the tank is cycling.
Info is a bit confusing, probably been on too long.
Repeat the question; How old is the tank? How long has it been set up for? Also what are the exact stats for your tap water?

okay suppose i gave u not much info on the subject
it has happened in almost all ma tanks they are around 2 to 5 yeears
ph 7
gh soft
kh none existant