pH Help!

[chilledaz]

My Ph test of my tank water shows a reading 6 due to my substrate. I'm looking to house community fish such as tetras, livebearers and rasboras. Would it be possible for me to keep them in a ph lvl of 6? Or am I better off changing my substrate to something else? My ph of my tap water is 7 by the way.

Thanks in advance!

 

[shellieca]

I think the bigger concern is keeping the tank properly cycled with a Ph that low. Typically a low-mid 6 Ph can crash a cycle.

 

[thomasina]

I had the same problem. It was so low that it was almost the palest yellow. I got about a cupful of used crushed coral from the LFS, didn't charge me a bit, washed it out, put it in a knee high. and sunk it in the back or the tank. I put a spoon full of Regulator in it and my pH is near 7 all the time. Even after 50% water changes! Good luck!

 

[dwayne.aycock]

I agree with the other posts. A PH of 6 is at a very precarious level. Tetras and other South Americans can tolerate PH in the 6 range; however, if you use CO2, peat, live plants, or are lazy with water changes, your PH could drop very quickly and very low. I had a similar problem with my 135 gallon Discus tank. I added a teaspoon of baking soda and the PH went from 6.0 to 6.4 overnight. It finally stabalized at 6.8. My Discus and plants are happy at this range. Hope this helps....Dwayne

 

[jcolon]

My Ph test of my tank water shows a reading 6 due to my substrate. I'm looking to house community fish such as tetras, livebearers and rasboras. Would it be possible for me to keep them in a ph lvl of 6? Or am I better off changing my substrate to something else? My ph of my tap water is 7 by the way.

Thanks in advance!

How are you testing the water? If it's test strips, I'd say junk it and get yourself a liquid test kit like the API test master. If you this is the case and it's a liquid 6 reading then a 7.0 tap dropping to 6.0 sounds like you have soft water.

As mentioned crushed corals, limestones in the filter should help harden the water slightly and help to increase some pH.

 

[jlk]

The OP's tap is stable at @6.8-7 and he using Api tests. The issue is the substrate (aqua soil, I believe). I am not personally familiar with it but read on other forums & product description that it reduces hardness and decreases ph/increases acidity. As I dont keep tropicals, I dont know if the soft, acidic water in the tank is appropriate for the fish desired. Can someone with experience with these fish please offer some insight?

 

[dwayne.aycock]

I use an Amazon soil that I got from the Tampa Aquarium. It is real amazon soil, baked into bricks that you add to the bottom of a newly set up aquarium. You add a soft substrate on top of it to keep it settled. I use ECO COMPLETE. Next you add water about 1/4 of the way, and let set for 5-7 days. I used a powerhead with a hose to circulate the water, and added Bacter 100 to get my BB rolling. I also added an air stone to keep the BB happy. After 2 weeks I willed the aquarium to 1/2, and 3/4 a week after that and full one week after that. I checked my PH as I was using 50/50 filtered tap and R/O water. My PH was 6.8 and slowly dropped to 6.4 as I was using R/O and CO2 pressurized gas. The Amazon soil, the ECO Complete, live plants and finally Discus fish keep my PH between 6.4 and 6.8. Plants and fish seem to love it and are thriving. I light 6 hours per day, with 1 hour of sunlight in the middle. My java ferns seem to benefit from the natural sunlight, but it is not enough to benefit BBA .

 

[chilledaz]

Yeah I think I'm gona change my substrate. How should I go about doing it? Should I get rid of all my water? Or should I keep the water and take out the substrate some way?

 

[Rivercats]

Tetras and rasboras can both handle low ph. Live bearers on the other hand prefer harder water and wouldn't do well at all in that low a ph.

You could change your substrate if desired or you can just add crushed coral to your filter or hang in under your filters outflow in a media bag to keep buffers going into your water. It's very hard to fight a ph that is being altered by substrate so in all honesty it might be easier in the long run for you to change it.

 

[chilledaz]

Yeah I think I should change the substrate but problem is I don't think my lfs has any eco complete or amazon. Could I order it online?

 

[dwayne.aycock]

My Discus Tank

You can order aquasoli Amazonia online as well as ECO Complete. Petco had Eco for $17 per bag. The Aquasoil Amazonia is more expensive and only a few sellers carry it, but a good google search will help. As far as switching out substrate, it is like starting over. Your tank will more than likely cycle again as well as stress out your fish. If you are going to start over, do you have a friend or store that will house your fish? The Aquasoil can't be rushed and needs time to settle out before you add the Eco. I am talking 3 to 5 days. If tou get the aquasoil, you will need to pack it pretty tightly to keep it from becoming soupy, as well as having a hard enough base to keep the Eco from sinking. Aquasoil comes pretty moist already, so you will have to find a way to reduce the water content. I have found that only time remedies the moisture content. Additionally, Aquasoil comes packed with nutrients and trace elements, and is great for root feeders like swords and anubis. Eco makes an excellent cap material and is packed with nutrients as well. This is assuming you want a planted tank. If you don't, then almost any approved aquarium roak will do. A technique I have seen for getting out your surrent substrate quiick and clean is a wet/dry vac. Good luck.......Dwayne
I have shared a few PICs with you that have the Amazon Soil and Eco Complete setup.

 

[Rivercats]

I ordered my Eco-Complete online but made sure I checked around and ordered it where I got free shipping due to it's weight.

 

[dwayne.aycock]

Hey Rivercats! long time, no hear. How are you?

 

[chilledaz]

You can order aquasoli Amazonia online as well as ECO Complete. Petco had Eco for $17 per bag. The Aquasoil Amazonia is more expensive and only a few sellers carry it, but a good google search will help. As far as switching out substrate, it is like starting over. Your tank will more than likely cycle again as well as stress out your fish. If you are going to start over, do you have a friend or store that will house your fish? The Aquasoil can't be rushed and needs time to settle out before you add the Eco. I am talking 3 to 5 days. If tou get the aquasoil, you will need to pack it pretty tightly to keep it from becoming soupy, as well as having a hard enough base to keep the Eco from sinking. Aquasoil comes pretty moist already, so you will have to find a way to reduce the water content. I have found that only time remedies the moisture content. Additionally, Aquasoil comes packed with nutrients and trace elements, and is great for root feeders like swords and anubis. Eco makes an excellent cap material and is packed with nutrients as well. This is assuming you want a planted tank. If you don't, then almost any approved aquarium roak will do. A technique I have seen for getting out your surrent substrate quiick and clean is a wet/dry vac. Good luck.......Dwayne
I have shared a few PICs with you that have the Amazon Soil and Eco Complete setup.

I currently have no fish inside my tank at all. Yeah I'm planning to have a planted tank and all so I guess I'll search around on the net for some cheap ones. How many pounds of each do I need for a 135L tank (35G) tank? My length is 70cm and my width is 41cm.

And also thank you to everyone who's replied to this thread, it's been really helpful

 

[Rivercats]

You need approx. 70 pounds to get a 2 inch thick substrate.

 

[chilledaz]

Should I get 2 inches of aqua soil and 1 inch of eco complete?

 

[Rivercats]

I'd put in a single layer of Aqua soil with an 1-1/2 to 2 inches of Eco.

 

[chilledaz]

By single layer do you mean an inch??

 

[Rivercats]

I mean if your using the stuff Dwayne used that comes in dried soil form, then I mean one layer since it will expand once it's water logged.

 

[dwayne.aycock]

Rivercats is right. I used a 1 to 2 ratio. 1 part amazon soil to 2 parts Eco. I found the Eco at Petco in late november, and the shipping was free. I had somewhere around 175 Kilos. I got lucky with the amazon soil, so I have a resource that is not available to most people. That is why I recommended the Aquasoil Amazonia, as it is pretty close. What kind of fish are you planning to keep? Whatever you do, you will need to focus a lot on filtration. Get the best filters and pumps you can afford, as planted tanks require different procedures and techniques as opposed to tanks with plastic plants. Algae is a key concern, and finding ways yo reduce it without harming or starving your other plants. I had a problem with Brown Beard Algae (BBA) which set me back a lot. It took almost a month to clear it. I learned from Rivercats that there is a cycling period for fish, but a cycling period for plants as well. Certain filters can strip CO2 which plants need, but can also.