breakaway Posted January 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2010 After the large water change and addition of carbon last night, I've just done a pH test this morning and it's still yellow (aka 6.3 ish!) More water changes I guess :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 After the large water change and addition of carbon last night, I've just done a pH test this morning and it's still yellow (aka 6.3 ish!) More water changes I guess :evil: Whats your tap water measure at? If there isnt much difference, dont worry about it, stability is the crucial thing. Do you have any fresh driftwood in the tank also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaway Posted January 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Yes I have fresh driftwood (bought from Hollywood Fish Farm - I'm not sure on exact age). I did dunk it in boiling water for ~40 min before putting it into the tank. Tap water tests at 7 - 7.4 I have very recently added a DIY CO² system - could this be lowering the pH down to 6? if it is, how to fix? (Short of remoiving the CO²). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 whats wrong with the pH at that level mine runs lower than that yet comes out of the tap way higher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaway Posted January 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Okay, I just assumed I need to keep it at that level. I've got a bigger aquarium incoming later this week hopefully (215 L) and once this tank is all cycled, I was planning to plant it heavily, move the fish to the bigger aquarium and then get convert it into a species-only dwarf puffer tank. And puffers are very sensitive to water parameters, and most sites recommend 7 and not 6. Don't want the pH bouncing up and down and killing my puffers - so I'm trying to find the imbalance and remove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Driftwood and CO2 will reduce ph somewhat. The Ph its at isnt a concern. If you do have concerns about the possibility of ph swings, raise the hardness of your water - buy some argonite or crushed oyster shell and put it in a media bag inside your filter. The harder the water, the harder the buffer, the less chance of ph swings. I believe a GH or KH of 3 degrees minimum should be sufficient - someone with more knowledge in this area feel free to correct me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Good advice Morcs, I would agree, although I am not an expert either. :oops: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaway Posted January 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Does the driftwood at some point stop reducing the pH or is it something I have to deal with for the duration that the driftwood is in the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morcs Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Does the driftwood at some point stop reducing the pH or is it something I have to deal with for the duration that the driftwood is in the tank? Its caused by the release of the tannis - tannis being an acid hence making ph lower. Eventually all the tannis would be leeched, but it does take sometime. The ph drop caused by CO2 is going to be greater. Im guessing your ph might drop below 6 in the night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Morcs advise as to raising the pH for fish is good. Before you get the puffers you will need to stabilise the pH at the level you want if you want the fish to stay healthy. By doing it the way Morc has suggested it is much better than using pH up which can be purchased in a bottle (this is only a temporary measure and doesn't keep it there in the long run). With planted tanks and tanks containing driftwood - the driftwood does lower pH and as the tank matures the pH will also lower, I don't run CO2 so can't comment on that. However your pH sits, a stable pH is way better than one that varies as this puts a lot of stress on your fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaway Posted January 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2010 Just and update - all the fish are still doing well (Have moved them into a 200L aquarium) Have figured out what was causing the drop in pH - it was the activated carbon. After the last day of treatment, I did a 50% water change and dumped the carbon back in (at this time the carbon had only had 2 weeks of use). The remaining meds must have gotten sucked into the carbon and it must have reached its capacity - so it was leeching it back slowly. Got a new one and now its good as gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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