pH Levels

[Helium_Junkie]

So, my tapwater is 7.6, my tank is 8.2... whats going on eh?

Please post any pH changing conditions below, with what way they change the pH. For example:

Air bubbles - Raise pH
Dead Leaves etc - Lower pH

(I do not know if those are accurate, they are just examples, please correct me )

This would be a very useful piece of knowledge I feel. Thanks

 

[CFC]

Generally if pH is rising then there is something in the tank which is causing it, usually a rock/s or the substrate, coral, coral sand, lava rock and limestone are all examples. To test if your decor is affecting your water remove them from the water, dry them off and put a couple of drops of a acidic liquid onto them, if it fizzes then you have found the cause.

Another reason many tanks have a higher pH than the tapwater is that fresh tapwater contains a lot of disolved CO2 which acidifies the water, after a while the CO2 is released and the pH reverts back to its true higher level.


pH drops are caused by many factors but the usual ones are the addition of CO2 for plants, a build up of wastes releasing organic acids through decay or a low buffering capacity (KH) of the water source.