Another PH question!

[TMaier]

I have 4 tanks I use conditioned tap water. Similar substrate, wood and plants.

3 of them the PH is always 7.4-7.8.

I tested the 4th this morning and got this.

I checked it 3 times and tested another tank just to make sure my test kit solution hadn't gone kaplewy.

The tank is located on my very shady patio and gets just a tab bit of sun late afternoon.

Any ideas why the PH is so low?

 

[TMaier]

My hubbie suggested it could be related to temp. It is early am here. I will test again this afternoon and see if it rises.

 

[Mebbid]

Temp wont control pH. The most likely culprit is an excessive amount of co2. Run an air stone in the tank for a few hours and see how it reacts. If that doesnt change it then you need to test the alkalinity in your tanks.

 

[TMaier]

This tank has an airstone running 24/7.

60L Biorb

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=356362

No Co2 supplements. Only 1 fish ATM and snails.

 

[Mebbid]

Well, in that case i would suggest taking a water sample into the fish store and asking for an alkalinity reading. Alkalinity is one of the things that stabilizes ph.

 

[Andy Sager]

Check the wood. Might have rot or over time, some woods will acidify water and/ or make it "soft" enough that alkalinity is gone and so little will cause the PH to drop. Most acid water loving fish have wood associated with their natural habitats.

 

[TMaier]

Ya know I always thought ph and alkalinity were the same thing. I don't have an alkalinity test kit. But I do have a lifetime supply of coral / aragonite. I added some to the tank today, removed a bit of wood.

Did a PWC.

Give it a few days and I'll recheck it.

 

[Andy Sager]

Ya know I always thought ph and alkalinity were the same thing. I don't have an alkalinity test kit. But I do have a lifetime supply of coral / aragonite. I added some to the tank today, removed a bit of wood.

Did a PWC.

Give it a few days and I'll recheck it.

For what it's worth, it's usually better to not do anything than do things blindly. Using coral and calcium based products works but you need to know if it needs to be there permanently, partially, you need a lot or you need a little or you don't need it at all or it helps some of your fish but hurts the other fish you have. IMO, The best spent money in this hobby is on test kits.

 

[TMaier]

I have the coral/aragonite around because my other 2 tanks were seeing ph bounces. I raise mystery snails so I need to keep it over 7.2. I think my KH out of the tap is 2-3 drops before I get a color change.

 

[TMaier]

Retested tonight. 7.4 to 7.6. Perfect. Now let's see if it stays there.

Still confused on KH - PH - Alkalinity? I have read that if I have low KH there is a risk of PH dropping. But are KH and alkalinity the same thing?

 

[Mebbid]

Retested tonight. 7.4 to 7.6. Perfect. Now let's see if it stays there.

Still confused on KH - PH - Alkalinity? I have read that if I have low KH there is a risk of PH dropping. But are KH and alkalinity the same thing?

Kh or dKH is a measure of alkalinity in the tank. Alkalinity's function is to buffer the water's ph. Without sufficient amounts of alkalinity then the ph changes quickly.

 

[TMaier]

Lol well that helps clear it up. I do have a KH test. When I test the PH this weekend I will test the KH. I will also retest the tap.

 

[rlederer]

A good explanation of KH, GH, and pH is Water Chemistry: pH, GH and KH What are they all? - Scott Thomson

Note that pH is always pH, not PH or ph.

 

[TMaier]

Note that pH is always pH, not PH or ph.

There, their, they're ...I'm sure its all gonna b fyne.