Ph While Cycle Causing Stall?

[doresy]

This one for the water experts

Ok, so there I was cycling my little 40lt with a little help from some media from my other tanks.

All went well, ammonia processing in under 8 hours in just 10 days

Nitrite processing in a further 9 days after spiking......fantastic!

Decided to keep adding the ammonia for a further week which for 2 days tested zero/zero after 8 hours.

As the tank is intended for my Apisto's I placed a piece of bog wood and a piece of monapali wood in the tank.

Ammonia stopped processing so I checked the Ph which had dropped to an acidic 6.5 which will be great for my Cockatoo Cichlids but not for my cycling I have now done a water change and removed the wood so hopefully the cycle will kick off again (I am not ready to get fish yet)

So my question is, assuming my cycle completes again and I add my Apisto's and wood will the Ph level (which will return to the 6.5) stop the filter from processing the fish waste

 

[Geoff1991]

The cycle makes the pH bounce around quiet a bit due to the high levels of nitrAtes or something. It will stable up once the cycles done.

If keeps dropping add a tablespoon if bicarbonate of soda which will raise the KH and in turn the pH, also the higher KH will stop the pH dropping as often.

 

[JenCliBee]

This one for the water experts

Ok, so there I was cycling my little 40lt with a little help from some media from my other tanks.

All went well, ammonia processing in under 8 hours in just 10 days

Nitrite processing in a further 9 days after spiking......fantastic!

Decided to keep adding the ammonia for a further week which for 2 days tested zero/zero after 8 hours.

As the tank is intended for my Apisto's I placed a piece of bog wood and a piece of monapali wood in the tank.

Ammonia stopped processing so I checked the Ph which had dropped to an acidic 6.5 which will be great for my Cockatoo Cichlids but not for my cycling I have now done a water change and removed the wood so hopefully the cycle will kick off again (I am not ready to get fish yet)

So my question is, assuming my cycle completes again and I add my Apisto's and wood will the Ph level (which will return to the 6.5) stop the filter from processing the fish waste

Going by mine and i have and have ahd exactly the smae problem.... it will just take a little time to adapt to the drop in PH... the PH afetr a few hours in my tanks drop from 7.5 tap to below 6 and in my 180 litre tank i have 20 mixed cory's, about 50 BN fry and apple snails and my tank never has a reading of ammonia or nitrite .

hope that helped lol, not exactly the scientific answer you may have wanted but actuall experience i guess counts for somethink

 

[doresy]

The cycle makes the pH bounce around quiet a bit due to the high levels of nitrAtes or something. It will stable up once the cycles done.

If keeps dropping add a tablespoon if bicarbonate of soda which will raise the KH and in turn the pH, also the higher KH will stop the pH dropping as often.

Thanks for the reply but I think you miss the point a little. I want the Ph level to be around 6.5 for the Apisto's so I don't want to be adding soda and the like. I know bogwoods lowers the Ph but I was asking that if it stalls a cycle that has completed will it hinder a filter from processing fish waste?



All input appreciated

 

[Geoff1991]

Oh, my bad.

Nah, people run tanks with a pH lower than that without problems. Everyone that has pressurized co2 usually experiances some sort of pH drop unless they have a really high kh

 

[doresy]

Oh, my bad.

Nah, people run tanks with a pH lower than that without problems. Everyone that has pressurized co2 usually experiances some sort of pH drop unless they have a really high kh

Yeah, I guess so.

Anyway, cycle completed and still on track. Bog wood added with no ill effect so maybe it was just a glick.

Water change done and stock added (M & F Cockatoo Cichlids and Cardina Tetras) and they are 'at it' already

There are loads of stuff in the tank from a mature set up so all will be well I'm sure

 

[waterdrop]

yeah dorsey, I think the colonies have a worse time of it trying to develop themselves in those lower pH numbers than they do maintaining themselves. I think you're safe but it would be interesting to hear your occasional confirmation here after a set of tests at various multimonth points down the road perhaps

WD