Janey Posted January 23, 2003 Report Share Posted January 23, 2003 Hi people... I need help! The PH in my community tank has dropped to below 6.0, I'm not sure to what exactly as my colour chart only goes to 6.0 but I'm guessing about 5.5. The tank has been set up since I moved in June and I haven't tested the PH at all, but.... a congo tetra died 3 weeks ago for no apparent reason, and I noticed a few other fish looking distressed, so I tested the water. The nitrates and ammonia are fine, but I got a shock when I discovered how acid the water was! Poor fishies The tank is approx 160L with a 1200 l/h external filter, there is NO wood in the tank, only schist (sp?) and plant. I did a 1/3 water change when I discovered the PH level, and brought it up to 6.2, I did another one 4 days later which brought it up to 6.6. I can't get it any higher than this, as it keeps slipping back down again. The PH of the tapwater is 7.4. Does anyone have any suggestions what is causing this? And what I can do to fix it? At the moment I am doing very frequent water changes to compensate, but don't want to keep doing this forever...! Thanks in advance... Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted January 24, 2003 Report Share Posted January 24, 2003 Short term fix is to adjust the pH with baking soda (dissolve it in a cup of water rather than just sprinkling it into the tank). Remember that pH adjustments should be gradual (usually not more than 0.1 per day from memory). Longer term fix is to add some crushed shell (or limestone or some other rock that gradually dissolves, increasing the pH) to the tank (or filter). This will increase the pH (and also the hardness, and also increase the buffering capacity of the tank (the ability to resist changes in the pH). You have to be a bit cautious adding the shell/limestone, as too much and you'll be reposting your message, except the pH will be too high. As to why it's happening - pH of tanks naturally tends to become more acidic with time - for a number of reasons (dissolved carbon dioxide, nitrate content, bacterial processes). The main ways of keeping it under control are remembering to do the regular water changes we're all supposed to do, don't over feed and remove any old decaying plant leaves etc from the tank. Hope this helps Jane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 24, 2003 Report Share Posted January 24, 2003 You could go to a local petstore and get bird grit for a few bucks. It's finely crushe shells. A small handful is enough for my 400 liter tank which drops like yours. Just put it in your cannister filter in a bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brocky05 Posted January 24, 2003 Report Share Posted January 24, 2003 You could try using some calcium carbonate in your tank as it works as a buffer and does help increase P.H slihtly it is availible from most shops that supply farm pumps or swimming pools use sparingly in community tank as does increase water hardness and most community will not handle hard water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted January 24, 2003 Report Share Posted January 24, 2003 Check your nitrate level also. If it is over 60ppm then the pH could be due to a high level of nitric acid in the tank. Using Backing Soda is the easiest method to raise pH. You can go a whole point if the Backing Soda is introduced very slowly. For 160L you should need about 1/2 teaspoon to raise your pH from 6.0 to 7.0. Mix the backing soda in about 1L of tapwater. Add a lit bit at a time over a 1-2 hour period. You will still need to find out what is causing the pH drop however. How often do you normally do water changes, and how much? Do you have undergravel and vacuum regularly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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