What keeps driving my pH up?

[lectraplayer]

In my 29g tank with 4 neons and 3 bleeding hearts, (and many plants), what can I look for to find what keeps pushing my pH up to the mid 8's? I'm wanting the upper sixes. Substrate is sand with compost under. To correct, I have stuck an oak blow-down log and a couple other pieces oak in the tank. My well water is a pH of 7. My 10g is currently holding 7.4 with 4 rasboras and 2 ottos, and the same plants, which is much more tolerable. Substrate there is gravel with compost under. I dose MgSO4 and some API Leaf Zone for the plants, which appear to really be thriving in the 10g but not so much in the 29g. Ammonia and Nitrite are absent in both, with Nitrates staying "up" @ around 20ppm in the 10g and less than 10ppm in the 29g. I'm not dosing CO2 but I intend to find some boostsr this evening, as well as other ferts. Water hardness tests are hard to come by though.

 

[pip walters]

MgSO4 will push up the KH, which in effect increases pH, but normally it also needs calcium carbonate to bind with, so it is possible the well water is actually quite high in calcium, which is combining with the magnesium sulphate and acting as a strong buffer.

 

[lectraplayer]

I saw MgSO4 was a slight acid when I looked it up. I guess I will have to try CO2 booster and water changes only to see if that corrects things.

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[Link119]

Are you saying that you PH has made it up to 8.5?

 

[lectraplayer]

It sure did. [emoji33]

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[Delapool]

Out of interest is the well water ph of 7 after 24hrs left standing? Also would you have kh?

 

[lectraplayer]

Yes it is. My strips told me kH and gH were moderately soft but I need to find a better test.

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[Delapool]

Are you using the same substrate in both tanks? Are both about the same level of bio-activity or more in the 10 gal?

I've summarised ph below if correct?

Tap well (after 24hrs) - 7 ph

10gal - 7.4 ph

29gal - 8.4 ph

The strips I find ok for kh and maybe gh test. To me soft water would fit with a tap well of 7.

It looks like something is increasing ph in both tanks?

 

[lectraplayer]

Tap water is utility water.

Well doesn't have a pump right now so it's drawn.

Both has a pH of 7.

The 10g is floating back up and is now at 7.6. It has gravel with soil under.

I've gotten the 29g down to 8.0. It has sand with soil under.

I was dosing MgSO4 but have quit. I've changed a lot of water since then but the pH is not sinking as expected. PH in both tanks was 7 before I started.

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[BBradbury]

Hello lec...

If you're not changing half the tank water weekly, you should. Large, weekly water changes will maintain stable water properties. Aquarium fish are very adaptable and most will adjust to most public water supplies. Add some natural water filters like Hornwort to the tank. Just drop in several individual stems of this plant and follow an aggressive water change routine and your fish and plants should do well.

B

 

[lectraplayer]

I have been changing 50% weekly. I've upped to 80% on my 29g daily until I get it under control. Also changing my 10g every couple days.

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[Delapool]

The only common thing I can see between both tanks is the soil? It seems an issue for both tanks is what I was thinking.

Do you have any rocks in there?

Edit - just checking - the tap or well with a ph of 7, is that after it has been standing in a container to degas, etc for 24hrs?

 

[lectraplayer]

The soil wasn't doing it for the first three months or so since I started the tanks. It may have absorbed something and/or finally started leaching (though my first couple of water changes were blackwater, did not check pH then).

PH stays 7 with the water sitting and filtering for weeks. I've kept a bucket running with a HOB and nothing else for a couple weeks before.

I did have a couple rocks early on but decided I didn't like them and soon removed them. No pH change. Admittedly, I belong in Old Scales's Wet Arm Society as I am always fiddling with my plants and stuff.

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[Delapool]

Pretty much down to suggesting aliens I'm afraid...