In my 300L thank i keep getting PH drops. Water ph here is about 7.

I have a small Oscar, 2 Bichirs, Pleco and 2 Hoplos.

My KH is 4 and GH is 3. Should they be higher? If so what should i use to increase the KH and how high should i aim for? Iv been using Sera PH/KH plus and have none left. I have been adding minerals to my tank also

Tank is fully cycled and this problem has only started in the last 3 weeks

Hi there.. I'm betting folks will want to know how often and how much water you change out

I would like to know what your pH is dropping to

Do you have driftwood in the tank?

Whats it dropping to?

The water sounds very soft, more like rainwater. Thats not a problem in itself, but the water will have less buffering capacity and be more prone to changes in pH.

The fish you have should be happy with a pH between 6 and 7, but stable is better than having it fluctuate as you try and control it. If you can keep it around 6.5 by doing water changes I would just try for that.

Cheers

Ian

Your KH sounds fine but if you were using additives to get it there then that may be the reason its swinging.

Our tap water here as 0 of both KH and GH so ive put oyster grit in all my filters. Others use marble chip, dolomite etc (think thats it) aswell to raise the KH.

Heaps of bio load will cause the ph to drop to a certain degree if the w/c's arent sufficient to replenish the stuff keeping it stable.

We have had a good bout of rain recently (not sure if you have down there) but that could be another factor?

Yes to drift wood. Low bio load on the tank. 1/3 water change every week. Not much rain.

Ph is about 6 right now...24hrs after a water change. Oscar doesnt look happy when it starts to drop

Ill let it drop over night and test in the morn

Im not sure if its avail. but Seachem's Neutral Reg would be perfect for your situation

Will solve your PH issues no worries at all

Its a buffer to keep it at 7 and will either raise or lower your PH and keep it at 7

Brad

Why waste your money of expensive buffers. You only need to go to the supermarket & buy some sodium bicarb, salt & epsom salts. Of course doing water changes more often will help. But if you are a bit on the slack side, here's a link...

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/buffer_recipe.php

yep it is for cichlids, your water is soft. Guesstamation here, try 2 teaspoons epsom salt, 1/2 teaspoon bicarb, 1/2 teaspoon of salt per 20litres. See how that goes.

Frenchy

Of course doing water changes more often will help. But if you are a bit on the slack side, here's a link...

I dont have the time to water change every 2-3days and it would still drop.

Ill try that link and see how i go

Im going to leave the tank for 24hrs more and see what happens.

Don't even bother with buffers etc. I found the pH in my 4' was dropping off the scale [test came back yellow!!!] because of the large bits of wood. Chucked some coral pieces in the sump and now after fine-tuning the amount of coral its pretty stable.

I don't know why the oscar would be bothered by the low pH, they do come from soft, acidic waters... :-?

If you are on Council water supply the chances are that your tap water is slightly alkali. Water changes will bring the pH back and will save you buying shares in the local pet shop. The pH will normally drop from fish waste and you may be over feeding.

If you are on Council water supply the chances are that your tap water is slightly alkali. Water changes will bring the pH back and will save you buying shares in the local pet shop. The pH will normally drop from fish waste and you may be over feeding.

Water changes bring the ph back to normal for about 12hrs. Ph of the water here is about 7.2 Im not over feeding...

I have all the stuff from the supermarket to bring the ph, gh and kh up so will wait and see what the tank does