Whiskeysgirl Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 Ok, checking tanks for Ph, Nitrites, ammonia... one tank that had the most recent water change has Ph of around 7, all good with that, other tests fine. Problem is that the other 4 tanks are showing Ph of 6, is this most likely because they are due for water changes or could there be a more sinister cause for such a drop between the tanks??? 3 of the four are 30, 45 and 60 litre tanks, with only 3 or 4 fish currently in residence in each, 4th is 165 ltr comm tank, reasonably well stocked but not over stocked,all tanks are lightly planted, one has driftwood for it's resident Plec. Will do water changes tomorrow anyway and re-test on sunday, just looking for opinions as to cause really, or am i just being a noob???? Anything else i should be looking at or doing??? not wanting to mess around with chemicals, just want stable Ph with happy fish. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-town... Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 ph can drop for numerous reasons. im guessing its because the water may have not been changed in a while? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 Have you started using a gas heater in your house recently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 i don't worry about ph as it will only effect the fish if it changes rapidly. I am on tank water so can't have much choice on the ph & i keep africans. my ph is about 7 which is not what africans are "supposed" to be in but i have seen no change in their colour, behaviour, breeding patterns or anything at all over the three months they have been in lesser ph levels. they seem to be no different at all from when my ph was 8. they simply adjust & get on with life it seems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskeysgirl Posted April 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 thanks for your repies, water changes being done as we speak... no gas heaters being used, only the woodburner which has been used before with no apparant problems...i figure that stable is better than lots of changes, just kinda got me that the tanks could be so different... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 the contents of the tanks will effect the ph, wood will soften it & slate/limestone etc will increase it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 Not a dumb question - there are no such things My tap water is 7.4 - 7.6 and my discus tank sits at 6 or lower (6 is the lowest my test kit goes) and even a 50% water change hardly brings it up. It dropped as the tank matured. I have driftwood in the tank which does help keep it down. Unless you are keeping fish that need high pH don't worry about it. More damage will be done by swings in pH than leaving it low. The more you fiddle the worse the damage will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr pleco Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 GH or general hardness will determine how quickly yr ph values swing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freakyfish Posted April 21, 2009 Report Share Posted April 21, 2009 Water will drop in PH naturally in your fish tank Plus the bio load will help the process to happen quicker If your doing regular water changes then your Ph shouldnt drop unless your trying to PH isnt as important for some species though and a quick drop is alot worse then a slow drop Keeping some africans with a PH of 7 isnt such a good thing Most will survive but will do alot better when kept at a level closer to their natural habitat Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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