HELP! Wery low PH, how to raise it!?

[Olena]

Hi,
during two years I had all kinds of problems with my 20 gal freshwater - I believe they are normal to have...but this one is the stubborn one. I wanted to lower a bit the PH, and here we go - now it is totally messed up. Maybe three weeks ago I noticed that it is extremely low - 6.0 or less. I noticed because Water Wisteria new to the tank started to rot. Since then I tested water in the local aquatic store, and they confirmed and advised to change water twice a week and add baking soda. So I did. Now its up again, but who knows if it stays. I changed carbon filter too. I changed about %50 water few times and next day the 6.0 was back again.
Before I messed with PH all the fish died because of the ich, but on gourami.
I think there is nothing to add to this story now. I am upset that I can not get out of this mess...
What do I do at this point?

 

[wildroseofky]

I had problems with my PH when I added CO2. You need to raise your KH by adding one of these limestone rocks, seashells, crushed eggshells, cuttlefish bone, or crushed coral. For me the limestone, seashells, and eggshells worked. I couldn't find crushed coral which lots of people recommended. Add a little at a time and check your PH until it settles were you want it. You can get your own liquid test kit on Amazon for less than $20. Most people on here use the API Master Test kit. It comes with stuff to test your PH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. You can buy separate kits to test KH and GH. I got the Master test kit for $18 shipped on Amazon. It last for a long time. It takes a day or two for the things I mentioned to start to change your Ph so give it time between adding things. You can use baking soda to bring it up until you get enough in the tank to buffer it and keep the ph steady.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Hi,
during two years I had all kinds of problems with my 20 gal freshwater - I believe they are normal to have...but this one is the stubborn one. I wanted to lower a bit the PH, and here we go - now it is totally messed up. Maybe three weeks ago I noticed that it is extremely low - 6.0 or less. I noticed because Water Wisteria new to the tank started to rot. Since then I tested water in the local aquatic store, and they confirmed and advised to change water twice a week and add baking soda. So I did. Now its up again, but who knows if it stays. I changed carbon filter too. I changed about %50 water few times and next day the 6.0 was back again.
Before I messed with PH all the fish died because of the ich, but on gourami.
I think there is nothing to add to this story now. I am upset that I can not get out of this mess...
What do I do at this point?

Add crushed coral either to the tank or the filter, and that will help buffer the ph.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

What size tank? What fish and how many? What was the water change schedule (how much and how often)? Do you know what the nitrate, nitrite and ammonia was? What is the pH suppose to be? You get to the bottom of what caused the pH to crash not just start adding things willy nilly.

Too many fish and not enough water changes can cause a pH crash. A pH crash can kill off your bacteria. No bacteria = ammonia spikes. All of these things can be deadly to the fish.

Also, are there any fish left in the tank now? If not then I would restart the whole thing from scratch.

 

[Olena]

Yes, it is 20 gal and one fish is still there - gourami. I did change water twice a month about %30, and since I noticed low PH I changed water twice a week.
PH was always 7.2 7- .4. So, how do i restart the system? Nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels were there but not too bad. I am going to test the water again today. I just tested the PH after the baking soda (yesterday) it is 7.4.

 

[Olena]

I have coral and sea shells from the store and Mexico, could I crush them somehow...and use in the tank??

 

[Mebbid]

I have coral and sea shells from the store and Mexico, could I crush them somehow...and use in the tank??

No need to crush them, they will do fine in the tank in their current form. I guess you could use a hammer tho

 

[Cactuspixie]

I have coral and sea shells from the store and Mexico, could I crush them somehow...and use in the tank??

You don't need to crush them. Just make sure they are clean- I'd rinse with boiling water.

 

[Cactuspixie]

Yes, it is 20 gal and one fish is still there - gourami. I did change water twice a month about %30, and since I noticed low PH I changed water twice a week.
PH was always 7.2 7- .4. So, how do i restart the system? Nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels were there but not too bad. I am going to test the water again today. I just tested the PH after the baking soda (yesterday) it is 7.4.

How many fish died from the ich outbreak? What are your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrAte now?

 

[Olena]

How many fish died from the ich outbreak? What are your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrAte now?

I just tested the water in Petco and everything is great! I guess baking soda did the trick! Now what?
A month ago ich have killed 5 fish leaving only one gourami untouched.

 

[Cactuspixie]

I just tested the water in Petco and everything is great! I guess baking soda did the trick! Now what?
A month ago ich have killed 5 fish leaving only one gourami untouched.

You'll need to buy your own liquid test kit. Because you have been making big changes to your ph, your tank may start to cycle again. Test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrAte and ph.
Now you have the ph where it should be, throw away the baking soda
If you add the coral rubble or equivalent, it will buffer the ph to stop any further swings. Do partial water changes weekly to prevent a deterioration in water quality.
Once you get your test kit, post your numbers here, and members will give you an accurate picture of what your tank is doing, and what you need to be doing

 

[Olena]

You'll need to buy your own liquid test kit. Because you have been making big changes to your ph, your tank may start to cycle again. Test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrAte and ph.
Now you have the ph where it should be, throw away the baking soda
If you add the coral rubble or equivalent, it will buffer the ph to stop any further swings. Do partial water changes weekly to prevent a deterioration in water quality.
Once you get your test kit, post your numbers here, and members will give you an accurate picture of what your tank is doing, and what you need to be doing

So you saying I have to always keep some coral or shells in the tank?

 

[Olena]

And I am back to low PH again!!!!! I changed water...I am preparing dead coral and sea shells now. I don't know what else to do.

 

[Fishfur]

Are you using tap water ? If so, what is the tap water's parameters as it comes from the tap ? You really do need test kits of your own and you also need them for GH and KH, so you can check to see how much buffering capacity the water has. GH measures general hardness, the total mineral content of water. KH measures calcium content, it is one of the most common buffering minerals.

Water chemistry is quite complex. I am still learning myself, and do not fully understand how it all interconnects, but there is a relationship between the hardness of water, which is the amount of minerals in it, such as calcium, and pH. If you don't have enough hard minerals, pH can be very unstable.

If you don't get test kits I think you may continue to have these problems. Once you get them, find out what the tap water has to start with. pH, GH and KH. Once you know that, you have a place to start.

You have one gourami now, what fish did you want to keep that would need lower pH ? Usually, most fish are very adaptable and it is usually much easier to have the fish adapt to the tap water, than try to change the tap water. The gourami could adapt to tap water, most fish can. Unless you want to breed them, it usually is much better to have the fish adapt, instead of adapting the water.

If fish MUST have acidic water, many people use RO,[ reverse osmosis filtered] and a remineralizing product to bring it to the condition they need it to be, because trying to change tap water more than a few points is simply very difficult to do. You can make yourself crazy trying.

If at all possible, get the test kits. That master kit will give you pH, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia, but not GH and KH. So get GH and KH tests. If the local store does not have them, see if they will order them for you. If not, you can buy them online.

 

[Olena]

In deed the problem was that my tap water has GH only 3. And with the low PH GH of the tank was 0. So, I had to use RO And it worked. The PH problem is gone now.