Ph Levels

[f111shy]

hey guys just got a brand new 60 litre marina 60 tank, and the ph on this is sky high i have added the nutrafin cycle and the water conditioner to the tank and my ph is about 8.5 - 9.0 ? can someone help me get these levels down cheers .

Karl.

 

[ZoddyZod]

have you checked your tap water, is it the same value?

If it's not, what sort of decor do you have in the tank? Any rock?

 

[f111shy]

Heyya, ok ill go and check the tap water now, but would water conditioner not sort this out ?
and only water and sand at the moment.

Karl.

just checked it and it is normal 7.0 ?? somethings telling me its the sand?

Karl.

 

[ZoddyZod]

there are ph lowering/increasing additives available, but these are exteremly tricky to use and you're more likely to have a fluctuating pH which is worse for the fish than a constant but high pH.

Other options are RO water (bought from a LSF or made with your own RO equipment) or placing peat in the filter....but peat can also be tricky to use and ensure a stable pH.

is it coral sand? If so, it's releasing minerals into the water and creating the hike in pH.

 

[f111shy]

RO water? sorry im no good with abbrieviations

karl.

 

[ZoddyZod]

Reverse Osmosis.

 

[f111shy]

and how would you do this yourself?

Karl.

 

[ZoddyZod]

you need to buy RO equipment.

.....however, seems your tap water is fine so before even thinking about it lets try and see what's happening to your pH.

The sand you have, do you know if it is coral sand? Any idea what it said on the bag it came in?

 

[f111shy]

i have a spare bag laying around shall i post a pic or write what it says ?

Karl.

 

[f111shy]

heyya heres a pic of the bag

 

[Aqua Tom]

My pH used to be about 8.4 > 8.8.

I have now got a huge piece of bogwood in the tank & am running pressurised co2. These things wher bought for my fish & plants but have the added benifit of lowering my pH to around 7.5.

Tom

 

[f111shy]

ok thanks tom im getting some bogwood soon so fingers crossed this will lower the ph

Karl.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

ok thanks tom im getting some bogwood soon so fingers crossed this will lower the ph

Karl.

It won't, or at least not much. You need to remove the source that's elevating the pH. If that bag is just sand it seems unlikely that it'll be that, although you should put a handful in a container with some tap water and see what happens to the pH after 24 hours just to be sure.

What else have you got in the aquarium?

 

[f111shy]

jus wter sand and heater and filtration system ? so sand is only explanation ?

Karl.

 

[Aqua Tom]

I would check your tapwater again. Test it straight out of the tap then leave a glass of water standing for 24 hours & test again. You probably have a great deal of co2 suspended in your water & as it gasses off the pH will rise.


Tom