Urgent Ph Help Required

[rob16d]

I use test strips on aquarium water. The nitrates and nitrites appear to be in the safe zone, the general hardness and chlorine are fine too. However..........the pH seems to be really low....around the 6/6.2 mark....I'm really quite worried....

Do I need to do anything to change the pH at alot? I have added a lot of bogwood recently....changed to sand then changed back to gravel........I don't know if this would have affected this at all? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks. x

 

[MewMew42]

its possible that the bogwood will have lowered it.

can you do a test on your tapwater? just to determine if it is or not the bogwood

also how often do you do water changes? if you tap water is higher then the tank, do a few water changes to bring it back up, it will right its self eventually!

 

[rob16d]

its possible that the bogwood will have lowered it.

can you do a test on your tapwater? just to determine if it is or not the bogwood

also how often do you do water changes? if you tap water is higher then the tank, do a few water changes to bring it back up, it will right its self eventually!

OK..the pH of the tapwater seems to be around 6.2 as well! *eurghh*

I thought all tap water was at 7? So do I need to take action? My apple snails shells seem to be in poor condition and I read this could be due to low pH?

Rob x

 

[MewMew42]

I would the take the strip results with a pinch of salt! if theres a way to get a liquid test kit or take some water into your lfs that would be much more reliable

unfortunately not all tap water is at 7, depends on your area! RO water is always at 7 if i can recall

since anything even remotely under 7 is acidic it will be affecting your apple snails your right, it will be corroding the shells

I cant rightly remember how to raise the PH off teh top of my head, but i know you can get some liquid to put in, but you will have to use it every time you do a water change which could be costly...

 

[drobbyb]

With low pH, you have a similar problem from mine. There's a link in my signature that you should read on this very subject.

Don't add pH up or any other "quick" fixes. They are temporary and change the pH too fast to be safe for your fish.

 

[rob16d]

that article is semi-confusing lol...is there anything I can add (decoration wise) that will dissolve.....etc to inmcrease ph?

 

[MewMew42]

you can add crushed coral to the filter

heres a thread that may help

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/274580-crushed-coral-to-raise-kh/

 

[drobbyb]

The problem you are going to have with raising the pH is every time you do a water change there will be a drastic shift in the mineral content of the water. This is bad. It's better to stabilize your pH instead of raising it and then keep fish that like soft water, like tetras, and South American cichlids. In that article, I described how to use crushed coral, but unless you understand the mechanics of it, it can be dangerous. You don't want your pH to go more than .5 above your tap water. If it does, your next waterchange will shock your fish. There is a delicate balance to be found, and you do that by testing.

 

[AdAndrews]

the problem is, that you are using test strips, they are incredibly inaccurate.

 

[rob16d]

the problem is, that you are using test strips, they are incredibly inaccurate.

I am going to invest in a mastertest liquid testing kit for £25.

Im worried as the shells of my apple snails are starting to go thin...

I just wish I could throw sumthin in the tank lol x