funwiththefish
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hi, all!
I have a 55 gal and a 10 gal tank (both very well established). Here are the parameters (the same for both tanks):
Ammo 0.0
NO2 0.0
NO3 10.0
pH 6.8
hardness 150
alkalinity 0.0
My concern is this: I moved about a month ago and lost the soft water at my old house (I shared with my sister who still lives there). For water changes, I tote as many gallons of RO water from the tap at my sister's house, but am forced to use plenty of hard water from my apartment.
I had not had any brown algae when living with my sister, but now I have been sprouting plenty of it. I began checking into causes of the brown algae, and I learned that low alkalinity is a major cause. I looked through my records and see that alkalinity had been ideal prior to my move (although my ph had also been around 7.6), now my alkalinity level was zero.
My green severums, firemouths, and africans all thrive on a ph below 7 (it had been higher and was causing some stress for my fish). After the move, my pH was also low, around 6.2. In attempt to raise the alkalinity, I used some PH increaser and now have my PH around 6.8 now. Because my fish are more comfortable at a lower ph, I hate to raise it anymore, but my alkalinity is still zero, and the fight against the brown algae is ongoing.
My pleco is not able to keep up with the algae, plus it is growing on all my plants, decorations, glass, and substrate. It's unsightly and out of control. Is there any way to raise my alkalinity without raising the ph? As always, thanks for your help!
I have a 55 gal and a 10 gal tank (both very well established). Here are the parameters (the same for both tanks):
Ammo 0.0
NO2 0.0
NO3 10.0
pH 6.8
hardness 150
alkalinity 0.0
My concern is this: I moved about a month ago and lost the soft water at my old house (I shared with my sister who still lives there). For water changes, I tote as many gallons of RO water from the tap at my sister's house, but am forced to use plenty of hard water from my apartment.
I had not had any brown algae when living with my sister, but now I have been sprouting plenty of it. I began checking into causes of the brown algae, and I learned that low alkalinity is a major cause. I looked through my records and see that alkalinity had been ideal prior to my move (although my ph had also been around 7.6), now my alkalinity level was zero.
My green severums, firemouths, and africans all thrive on a ph below 7 (it had been higher and was causing some stress for my fish). After the move, my pH was also low, around 6.2. In attempt to raise the alkalinity, I used some PH increaser and now have my PH around 6.8 now. Because my fish are more comfortable at a lower ph, I hate to raise it anymore, but my alkalinity is still zero, and the fight against the brown algae is ongoing.
My pleco is not able to keep up with the algae, plus it is growing on all my plants, decorations, glass, and substrate. It's unsightly and out of control. Is there any way to raise my alkalinity without raising the ph? As always, thanks for your help!
