Another new to plants question

[deepseadan]

Let me start by saying I was a successful reef guy for 15 years and go sick of the constant battles with nutrients vs algae growth and the balance that reefs need to look good or grow coral. I decided to get into the freshwater side again and figured it would be simple. Boy was I wrong. It's even more complex. I've learned that fish come from many different types of water, (hard, soft, low ph, high ph) and then there's the addition of plants which also seems to throw a wrench into it. I guess using prime and my hose for water changes is out the door since my water's gh is 250ppm and my ph is 8.2.

So having said all that, I'm right in the beginning stages of 150 gallon planted / South American fish tank. Stupid me (not knowing gh and ph importance), I cycled my tank with tap and prime, so now I'm slowly trying to bring down my ph and gh with rodi water changes. I'm at 7 degrees gh and my ph is in the mid to low 7's. My question is for you plant experts, when do you guys check your ph? During the light cycle, darkness, ect?

 

[20cc]

i never check or bother with PH . in fact i only use my PH kit when i need to change out the drop checker liquid . if you are injecting co2 it will drop your PH . mine stays at around 6.0 . south american fish prefer soft acidic water. it doesnt mean they cant survive in higher PH . i checked it once when i first started this tank my KH was 1 and my GH was 6 my PH was reading 6.0 from the chart after 24 hours of co2 being pumped in. it could be lower.. havent checked it since. the best way is to see how your fish are acting, getting used to their moods and behavior to see if theres somethings wrong . btw my tap water is 7.6 with 2.0 phosphate from the get go.

 

[Rivercats]

I keep tabs on my Kh and Gh. I prefer both to be around 4. That is just enough calcium and magnesium for plants.

As for Ph I rarely check it because IMO the Kh and Gh are most important. CO2 will drop Ph during the day but during the night when lights and CO2 are off Ph rebounds back to it's normal level. If you test Ph first thing in the morning before lights come on when your using CO2 you will find it's at it's highest normal level. CO2 temporarily drops Ph during the day.

What type of light and plants are you planning on using?