Whiskas Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Why does the water in my tanks go acidic? It comes out of the tap neutral but my tanks water is acidic - great for my remaining killies not so for my mums cichlids (she has the same problem and apistogramma cichlids like slightly more alkaline water, yeah?). I am not overly keen on using the pH Up and Down stuff as it can spike. We both do 20% water changes every week (admittedly missing occasionally and it being 2 weeks instead of 1). Are there any other ways to make the water more neutral and keep it that way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 What sort of substrate do you have? (and other aquarium decor?) You could try putting some substrate in a jar with some tap water and testing the water after a week or so, see if that it changing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskas Posted November 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Just got sand and then stones on top. With plants and one of my tanks has some driftwood. While mums has sand, stones, resin ornament and plants. I put a shell in my livebearer tank some time ago (think it was 2yrs) and it is almost completely dissolved!! I just been searching through the internet to see what i could find also and found this interesting bit: http://www.aquahobby.com/articles/e_adjusting_pH.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Where are you getting your water from? Do you have driftwood or any plants rotting in your tank? There are many things that will cause your ph to lower mainly it is because the water you are using has a low kh and the fish peeing and pooing and general waste causes the waters ph to drop. Before you do anything Appisto's love a lower ph, and killies will cope, how low is low? AS always as long as it isn't extreme its better to have a constant ph than muck around trying to change it and potentially cause more problems.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskas Posted November 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Umm, it at home and i access this at work - lets see it at the bottom of what my tester will show which i think is pH6 ? Yeah i know the killies love it so not worried about their tank I didn't realise that appistos enjoy a lower pH, the book i have about cichlids says a more alkaline water is preferred. What mum has exactly as i investigated last night is one male cockatoo cichlid and a pair of gold rams - so do they like a lower pH or more alkaline? There is no driftwood in mums tank, she did have all her twisted val die off and now her dwarf sag grass (i think) is dying off too - the other 4 plants are doing fine (java fern, red ludwigia, lil anubius and another that is not cabomba but thats what i always think its called). What does the low kH do? Is that that stuff thats good for buffering? Is it better to have it higher? How do you do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon1990 Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 the cockatoo and gold rams would like the low ph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskas Posted November 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 cool i wont worry about it too much then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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