Ph Level

[roseykat5]

my tap ph is at 7.6 at a good range but my ph level in main tank is at 6.0 what the hell is going on it keeps going down dispite the reg water change weekly... and its afecting im assuming the reason for flicking and stuff once i had it back up in normal range of 7.2 all was well and they go back down .. i need help to get that back up and what can i put in my tank i though main plm was having the bogwood so i took it out mth ago and put in with angel fish and that tank is at 7.3 so im at loss the 10 gal is at 7.2 and the 25 gal is at 7.3 ph leve at 90 gal is at 6.0 really bad i just put ph stabliszer and may have to get more and will do water change tonite but i want to know if theres somthing i can get to help to keep the ph up there in the normal range without having to keep put the stabliszezr what about the coral stuff i dont know what to do .. some one told me to start over and i dont want to im attached to the ones i have .... ive lost few corries and 2 platties and few got fin rot which i blame on the ph plm
so i borrowed the kit from my sister to do the reg test this week and next to the plm under control ...
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks fishlovers

 

[Lorna]

Hi RoseyKat, What kinds of rocks have you got in the tank and how quickly does the PH lower? Using coral chips in the substrate will increase the PH.

 

[roseykat5]

just plain ole gravel rocks ... i have no clue and set up is similar in all tanks but i just as of few days ago put sand in my 25 so its 3/4 sand and some gravel int he 25 gal but need to get more in there and got plants in that one so that one is now differnt but never had plm with other 2 tanks just the 90 gal its pissing me off so willthat work and i wonder if its costly

you can see sorta in the avater its white and blue and got a lava rock would that affect that ph or what

 

[rsands]

any co2 injection? Bogwood?

 

[roseykat5]

nope bog wood is now gone for a mth now thoguht it would have solved the plm but no

 

[-germ-]

I think (?) platies prefer hard water so i doubt thats the problem, although cories do prefer soft....Edit; oops mis-read, reverse that comment and it makes sense.
With the deaths and the PH fluctuations are you sure your tank isn't undergoing a cycle, mini or not, any reason your filter bacteria may have died off?
Edit;I've used a tight full of marine gravel as a succesful buffer in my tanks....
But bear in mind your cories and angels'd prefer this water over your hard water tanks.

 

[ArauraDiscus]

Lava rock doesn't leach from what I understand. Much like slate it is safe for aquariums.

 

[Tolak]

Often water companies will add chemicals to adjust the pH. Try taking a bucket of water from your tap, aerating for 24 hours, and then test it.

 

[Maxta]

I had problems with my bogwood lowering pH, my tap water was 7.4ish and my tank was 6. I put in a tufa rock and gradually with the water changes it rose back up and had stayed up.

Get tufa rock its great

 

[roseykat5]

what does a tufa rock look like ive never heard of it ... and as for angels anc cory they are in alone in 25 gall and that tank is fine with 3 otos and im having plm with maintaining the ph in the 90 gallon tank it just wnt stay up

 

[Maxta]

Its white/yellow basically, if youre from the UK you will probably have seen it if youve been in Pets at Home, usually has a hole in the centre, around £4-£8 depending on size: http/www.petsathome.com/invt/12890

http/www.petco.com/Assets/product_images/99367600042B.jpg

 

[roseykat5]

thanks but how long will it rise back up i did manage to get it up to 6.4 from 6.0 and now its back down now that i did the water changes grrrrr ... i put it in my tank and looks ok i had to do a re arranging to make it look ok in the tank but geee im so mad with ph level staying low .. i went also got a ph stablizer but somehow i bought it but didnt come home with me or i lost it around the house somehow

 

[jasonskillz]

water will always be slightly acidic when it is exposed to room air. when carbon dioxide mixes with water, carbonic acid will be produced, which is a weak acid. if you check your drinking water, it will still be acidic as long as there is carbon dioxide in the air. its chemisty!

 

[Maxta]

Mine took a couple of days to take affect, then went up considerably when i did my regular water change, and days after stayed the same pH, and when it came to another water change it went up again to what it was meant to be and has stayed that ever since. So im very happy.