Orange water... darn

[greenmaji]

Just make sure the Ph doesn't swing. You may want to check the KH. Specially if you are using CO2 ...

Milan has a point.. adding bogwood will add new acids to your water.. if your KH is too low this can be a problem..
I doubt your KH is the problem if you have hard water though.. sometimes PH is not a good indicator of water hardness..

 

[Guest]

And im trying to filter it out, but im not having much luck with it. but its already made my water more acidic, i just hope it stays where it is right now.

Also my KH is very high, i dont' know what the exact numbers are, but i actually put a water softener pillow in my filter because some of my plants weren't doing very good, they are doing better now.

You don't even have to get artificial driftwood. The Driftwood Art pieces they sell at Big Als are premounted on weights and are made of real wood, just wood that does not turn your water yellow.

Yeah, i bought a small piece of that, but it was $15 at the LFS, the one i got off of ebay, well i won it for just a dollar so it was a steal, and its beautiful, and i don't really like the color, so thats what im working on, but i like the fact that it lowers the water pH and makes for a good environment for my angels. I want real stuff in my tank because i figure, in nature, they don't have fake plastic, they have real wood right? real plants, real wood... that way i can brag when people come over.. lol.

 

[greenmaji]

I personaly dont think that 7.8 PH is all that bad.. and If you plan on CO2 injection you really need to know exactly what your KH is and you need it stable. the pilliow will be lowering it but you will need to constantly test the KH to make sure your PH is changing the way it is suppose to with your CO2..
sorry just trying to help this is beginning to sound confusing to read..

 

[TankGirl]

I don't think there is any cause for alarm here - this is almost entirely a cosmetic issue, and very regular water changes, which I know AN does, will keep the water parameters stable.

 

[greenmaji]

I was thinking it might be difficult to measure CO2 in such a tank.. thats all..
I dont think there is anything to worry about though..

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=54139

 

[Guest]

I personaly dont think that 7.8 PH is all that bad.. and If you plan on CO2 injection you really need to know exactly what your KH is and you need it stable. the pilliow will be lowering it but you will need to constantly test the KH to make sure your PH is changing the way it is suppose to with your CO2..

I just have a little DIY CO2 diffuser with one 2 liter bottle and a bell diffuser. I don't know exactly what my KH is but im not too worried about it, my pH has always been pretty stable, there have been no "swings" it has slowly lowered to what it is now (6.8 ) over about a month and seems to be steady at that. I test my water weekly and my plants are growing very good. t. I will eventually get a kh reagent test, but right now i have my Freshwater Master kit and the dipsticks, which i just use for comparison and to see how hard the water is (all it shows is soft, very soft, hard, very hard.. etc.)

I don't think there is any cause for alarm here - this is almost entirely a cosmetic issue, and very regular water changes, which I know AN does, will keep the water parameters stable

Thanks for your confidence in me Tankgirl 8)

 

[TankGirl]

Rock on

 

[greenmaji]

measuring the CO2 level will not be that bad if your ph is stable at 6.8.. just a measure of the KH should do it..

Chucks calculator will help
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/download/aquacalc_setup.exe

This thread goes into greater detail..and more accuracy then the calculator..
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=54139

 

[Guest]

well, after my water change today, the water is looking a lot clearer.. i just hope it stays that way!

 

[Guest]

well, after my water change today, the water is looking a lot clearer.. i just hope it stays that way!

Mee too, it may be only a cosmetic issue as TG said, but fish tanks are largely cosmetic, and the first thing people notice is the water.

 

[Milan]

Water color (transparency) is not just cosmetic for planted tanks. Any water color takes a bite on your lighting. Light intensity decreases exponentially with depth:

Id = Io*EXP^(-k*d)

Id = Intensity @ depth
Io = Intensity @ surface
k = absorption factor
d = depth

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out what happens if you increase "k", what color does.

 

[TankGirl]

Let me clarify that when I say it is a "cosmetic issue" I mean that no drastic action needs to be taken, and that the fish are not in danger. This is an important distinction when deciding what needs to be done about a particular issue.

I can't stand an unsightly tank any more than the next guy, since every single one of my tanks are "display" tanks and I take their appearance as a reflection on my abilities as a fishkeeper, so I would not wish to imply that cosmetic problems are not worthy of attention. I spent money on a UV filter to cure green water rather than wait weeks for it to resolve, and that was a completely cosmetic problem also. I could have saved money and tried to "ride it out" but I am weak!