Interesting water parameters...? (pH)

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Batt4Christ

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Apr 18, 2011
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634
29g Freshwater
Heavily planted (Ludwigia Ripens, Water Sprite, Stargrass, three varieties of Java Fern, Java Moss, Anacharis.

DIY CO2 bubbling away "happily" w/Hagen ladder diffuser

Stock:
1 fancy male guppy
4 Angelfish (Still juveniles, largest is just over 3 inches)
2 Variegated Sunset Platy
1 Common Pleco (one of the reasons for our working on acquiring a 125g aquarium). About 5 inches.
1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco (a little over 2 inches)
2 Ghost Shrimp
2 "Mystery Snails" - AKA - apple snails.
2 Nerite Snails
Untold number of "pond" snails - aka blister snails, thus the reason for the:
3 Assassin Snails

Yes, I believe this tank is stocked "to the gills". Will probably be giving away the platies in the near future, though they are only part of the stocking issue.

But anyway - to the water tests this afternoon:

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
NitrAte: 10ppm

Last water change was 5 days ago (30%). I'm pretty happy with those numbers. But what is interesting:

pH - 7.4

Our tap water tests at about at about as close to 7.0 as I can make out on the test chart.

API Freshwater Master Kit

What has made me wonder about the pH (actually haven't been testing pH in quite a while) is that the Apple snails both have some pretty obvious shell erosion. (Interestingly enough, the Nerites don't seem to have the same issue). So I was starting to think that the tank must be creeping down in pH - a thought bolstered by the "horror stories" from others doing CO2 and seeing pH swings (that and our lfs recently had their beautiful fw show tank "crash" because the CO2 somehow got stuck/left on over night... they returned the next day and found it at 5.4 - with the entire school of cardinals dead and the tank cloudy). So - figured I ought to check the tank...

The only thing I can figure that would raise my pH despite the use of CO2 would be either the pfs I switched to last month, or the nice big piece of flat river rock I recently added (cleaned/boiled, etc.). I was careful not to get the obvious limestone and other similar minerals... But.. who knows.

My next step is tracking down a drop tester

Anyway... what do ya'll think (beyond the bio-load)?
 
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