PH help!!

[Penguin]

So I checked my ph last week and it was a 7.4 and I checked again with my API PH test kit and it showed my PH has dropped to a whopping 6.2 PH. What could be causing this? I have a newly added Aqueon Quietflow 50-70 filter as well as my well cycled Fluval 406 Canister filter with an airstone and a bubble wall. We do water changes every Sunday and we have live plants in the tank such as Java Fern, Amazon swords, and Anubias and a big piece of Moopani wood. We are going to change out the gravel for sand now thinking that maybe the gravel is causing such a huge Ph drop.
Our Current stock in the 40 breeder:
1x Green Severum
1x Marble Angelfish
1x Jack Dempsey
5x Red Eyed Tetras
3x Serpae Tetras (adding 2 more when PH is fixed)
1x Pictus Cat (Rehoming also)
1x Kribensis
1x Bolivian Ram
1x Electric Blue Ram
2x Kuhli Loaches (adding more as soon as PH is fixed)
1x Peacock Eel (rehoming as soon as there is another sale at petco)

 

[Anders247]

What is your KH? BTW, that tank is way overstocked....

 

[Penguin]

My KH is 5 and I know I'm getting rid of the Pictus to my friend who can home him in one of his many tanks as soon as he gets home from work and the angelfish are going away too

 

[Anders247]

What about the JD?
Anyways, what is your pH out of the tap? You need to let the sample sit 24 hours before testing it btw.

 

[Penguin]

What about the JD?
Anyways, what is your pH out of the tap? You need to let the sample sit 24 hours before testing it btw.

My pH out of the tap is 7.4

 

[Anders247]

Your driftwood could have something to do with it. I wish I could help more, but I do know someone on another forum who could help......

 

[trennamw]

How certain are you about that KH reading?

I was told recently that a KH of 4 should prevent ph drops even with driftwood and I've found this to be the case. Have new mopani wood in my tank, the water got pretty dark, ph dropped a little at KH of 3 but KH of 4 it stopped dropping.

Gravel won't "cause" ph problems. But if you're overstocked and the gravel has a lot of crud in it ... Biological processes, I believe, can bring on acidic conditions with a KH of 4-5. Perhaps someone with more experience can weigh in.

I also understand you wouldn't want to do massive changes or extreme cleanings either, just frequent small improvements. Maybe a deep gravel vac at one area every few days, with frequent sessions of shaking / squeezing your filtration media in a bucket of dirty tank water?

With that stock you may need more frequent water changes.


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