pH gone mad

[BettaGal]

My pH in my tank use to be the most steady pH ever. It never changed from 7.6 no matter how crazy my ammonia got. Yesterday, about 24 hours after my water change, it dropped from 7.6 to 6.0 on me. I did a water change and it went up to 7.2 after that. Now maybe 15 hours after that water change, it's down to 6.4 again. My other tests are reading ammonia - 1 ppm; nitrite - 3 ppm; nitrate - 5 ppm. What can I get to stabilize my pH? I have three snails, three Cory cats, and one flame dwarf gourami. The only issue I've had before the sudden pH madness is that my ammonia will not go down below 1 ppm even with daily 50-90% water changes, and I was advised to get an ammonia removing filter media to help. I have that and was also advised to help my cycle by getting a bottle of nitrifying bacteria, which I added the day before my first pH plummet but not last night.

 

[clearancepuppy]

I would test the water you are putting in. Next, stocking; could it be your stock is all getting a lot bigger now? Is this a 10 gallon? How long has it been since you thoroughly cleaned under the gravel (if you use gravel, that is).

 

[clearancepuppy]

Rivercats would be able to better advise. Pretty sure people here would tell you not to go the chemical up/down route.

 

[BettaGal]

I would test the water you are putting in. Next, stocking; could it be your stock is all getting a lot bigger now? Is this a 10 gallon? How long has it been since you thoroughly cleaned under the gravel (if you use gravel, that is).

I have tested the water, well, more like seen the color of the reactant stuff change when I rinse out the tube. The pH tube. It immediately goes back to 7.6 color. I tested for ammonia in my tap water when I was for the first time advised that test strips were highly inaccurate and that I needed to get a liquid test kit. There is no ammonia in my tap water. I vacuum my sand every time I do a water change. I use a gravel vacuum for a 5 gallon tank. I have a 10 gallon tank. I got the smaller vacuum due to having sand. I have black aquarium sand since I have albino Cory cats. I didn't want to get white pool filter sand when I was getting albino cats. Only one cat has been replaced since I got this tank and he was replaced with a smaller one. I have three plants in it. One curly bamboo that hasn't grown and my inca snail and gourami eat off of, one banana plant that is really new and not big at all, and one leafy thing I don't know the name of due to no label, but it looked like my gourami's baby that sadly died. I won't get pH up or pH down. I have yet to read a good thing about it. I don't really care where the pH is. I just want it to stop spontaneously dropping on me. I need something to buffer my water, pretty much.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

There has to be something in your system thats making the ph fluctuate if your sourcewater is stable. What size tank is it?

 

[Cichlid Kid]

I see. 10g.
Well it doesnt appear that your overstocked. Did you add any decor lately, like driftwood? Any dead or dying plants? Do you use co2?
If your answer to all these is "no" and your sure the sourcewater is stable then I'd add a mesh type bag of crushed coral, oyster shells or argonite to your filter if possible, if not just hang it on the inside where it's in contact with water flow. For a 10gal it shouldn't take much to start raising the ph. Maybe10-12oz.
I use crushed oyster shell as substrate in my rift lake tanks and it keeps my ph a steady 7.9 even though my tapwater is 7.3

 

[BettaGal]

The filter is full with the Aquaclear ammonia removing thing in it. I have a Tetra Whisper 10 gallon filter. If I can get some crushed coral or oyster shells, will they just raise my pH, or will they hold it steady? My test kit for pH only goes up to 7.6 so if it decides to go way high I can't catch it. I'll be going to Petco later on as long as I have a solid answer on what to get. I'm not doing a water change until either Petco closes or I know what to do to prevent this from repeating every day. I don't wanna keep messing with it all the time if there's a way to make it stop.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

If you only use a few oz. of coral or argonite it should slowly raise the ph until the tds tops out then it will stabilize. I'd rather we find the cause of your ph dropping, as adding the buffering material is just putting a bandaid on the problem so to speak. It is however safer than using chemicals.

 

[BettaGal]

If you only use a few oz. of coral or argonite it should slowly raise the ph until the tds tops out then it will stabilize. I'd rather we find the cause of your ph dropping, as adding the buffering material is just putting a bandaid on the problem so to speak. It is however safer than using chemicals.

I would love to find the cause too, but when I asked on another thread yesterday, I got scolded for putting in an ammonia remover, adding bacteria from a bottle, and not being able to get the ammonia down under 1 without the ammonia remover. I'm sure I screwed something up, but I can't figure out what. I figured I better find out how to buffer it so at least whatever I did can get fixed.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

I'm not familiar with the chemical effects of ammonia remover or its relation to ph values but i image its possible for that stuff to alter ph. Whether it does or not maybe someone else can answer for you. Hopefully...

 

[BettaGal]

Thank you. I wanna fix it. I just don't know what to fix.

 

[blert]

You didn't screw anything up.

Let's start by giving you a few pointers to help save some money (not scolding here, just pointing out)...
The "ammonia remover" pad is a waste of money. It will have a negligible effect on your situation. If you removed your old filter material to replace it with the ammonia pad you took a step backward. Did you save your old filter media and keep it wet?
"Bacteria in a bottle" is unreliable at best and another complete waste of money. They can sometimes even be harmful by introducing the incorrect strains of bacteria (if there is even any actually alive in the bottle) that robs the true nitrifying bacteria of nutrients and then dies off causing even more ammonia.

Now for your pH issue...
It is common in a "cycling" tank to have a fluctuating pH. First thing you need to do is test your tap water. If you have a spare air pump then put some tap water in a bottle and drop in an air line. Let it run for 24 hours and then test the pH. If you don't have an air pump then put some water in a shallow bowl and give it a good stir every so often. Test the pH after 24 hours. This will be the true pH of your tap water. Refrain from using crushed coral until you know the true pH of your tap water.

Lastly, you need to get the toxin levels down. Do as many 50% water changes (wait 30 minutes between each water change) to get ammonia and nitrite under 0.25ppm. Example: if the ammonia and nitrite are at 1.0 ppm, assuming your tap has zero for both, it will take two 50% water changes to hit 0.25 ppm.

 

[blert]

Forgot to add...

The Bamboo is not an aquatic plant. The top leaves need to be above the water surface. If not it will rot and contribute greatly to an ammonia issue.

 

[BettaGal]

Forgot to add...

The Bamboo is not an aquatic plant. The top leaves need to be above the water surface. If not it will rot and contribute greatly to an ammonia issue.

PROBLEM FOUND!!!! I wish I was told that when I put it in. It would have saved me a good frustration.

To explain the filter thing. I left the filter pad thing in the filter and slid the ammonia remover media behind it. It uses a biofilter with a bioscrubber insert in front of the pad cartridge whatchamacallit. I will start doing water changes once I can get everything I need to fix my pH issue.

 

[blert]

PROBLEM FOUND!!!! I wish I was told that when I put it in. It would have saved me a good frustration.

To explain the filter thing. I left the filter pad thing in the filter and slid the ammonia remover media behind it. It uses a biofilter with a bioscrubber insert in front of the pad cartridge whatchamacallit. I will start doing water changes once I can get everything I need to fix my pH issue.

With those numbers I wouldn't wait. The high nitrite is damaging your fish as we speak.
If you do a 75% PWC now it will bring the nitrite down to ~1ppm. If you then do another 75% PWC it will bring it down to ~0.25ppm. I would then follow with another 50% PWC to get it solidly under 0.25ppm.

As I said, let some tap water sit and gas out for 24 hours before you buy anything to attempt to adjust it. There may be no issue but you won't know until you do this.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

PROBLEM FOUND!!!! I wish I was told that when I put it in. It would have saved me a good frustration.

To explain the filter thing. I left the filter pad thing in the filter and slid the ammonia remover media behind it. It uses a biofilter with a bioscrubber insert in front of the pad cartridge whatchamacallit. I will start doing water changes once I can get everything I need to fix my pH issue.

It's a good idea to google any plant you buy at a shop right away. Bamboo plants are the best plant mistake to run into in my opinion simply because it makes a wonderful houseplant. They may not live submerged in the tank but they look great next to one.

Your pH woes should resolve itself once the cycle is over. Don't add anything to "fix" it. Most times they cause more trouble than they fix unless you're using RO water.

 

[BettaGal]

With those numbers I wouldn't wait. The high nitrite is damaging your fish as we speak.
If you do a 75% PWC now it will bring the nitrite down to ~1ppm. If you then do another 75% PWC it will bring it down to ~0.25ppm. I would then follow with another 50% PWC to get it solidly under 0.25ppm.

As I said, let some tap water sit and gas out for 24 hours before you buy anything to attempt to adjust it. There may be no issue but you won't know until you do this.

Whoa whoa whoa. .3 not 3. It's very slightly high. My phone betrayed me.

 

[blert]

Whoa whoa whoa. .3 not 3. It's very slightly high. My phone betrayed me.

Evil phone. ?

Ok that's good, still not great but good.
Work on getting that ammonia down then. From 1.0ppm it will take one 50% and one 75% PWC to get it below 0.25. This will also get the nitrite even lower so all the better.

 

[BettaGal]

It's a good idea to google any plant you buy at a shop right away. Bamboo plants are the best plant mistake to run into in my opinion simply because it makes a wonderful houseplant. They may not live submerged in the tank but they look great next to one.

Your pH woes should resolve itself once the cycle is over. Don't add anything to "fix" it. Most times they cause more trouble than they fix unless you're using RO water.

I asked here immediately after buying it and nobody said the plant would rot. Now I get to replace it with something weird. Yay!

Now for pH. I really need a secret weapon to buffer it. I know I sound crazy and probably naive about it. It never ever in the almost 6 weeks I've had this tank fluctuated at all. Maybe I screwed it up, idk. I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg. Is there anything I can do to at least make it not fluctuate so far so fast?

 

[blert]

I asked here immediately after buying it and nobody said the plant would rot. Now I get to replace it with something weird. Yay!

Now for pH. I really need a secret weapon to buffer it. I know I sound crazy and probably naive about it. It never ever in the almost 6 weeks I've had this tank fluctuated at all. Maybe I screwed it up, idk. I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg. Is there anything I can do to at least make it not fluctuate so far so fast?

Don't stress about it. Get the "cycle" under control first. The large water changes will help to add buffers "naturally".