Upping PH w/Crushed Coral

[Bmtiz92]

Hey everyone,

I've been having PH issues lately, as the ph in my tap is actually fluctuating. It used to stay around 6.5, which was perfect for my rams, however, lately, it's bottomed out and I can't even measure it it's so low. SO, I got crushed coral to bring it up and hopefully keep it stable, but I'm not sure what the best way to do this is. How do I up the PH safely without a swing? I don't want to stress them out, or wack out my chemistry anymore then it's already been. Also, with water changes, how does it work? Won't I shock them changing the water?

 

[Wy Renegade]

Hey everyone,

I've been having PH issues lately, as the ph in my tap is actually fluctuating. It used to stay around 6.5, which was perfect for my rams, however, lately, it's bottomed out and I can't even measure it it's so low. SO, I got crushed coral to bring it up and hopefully keep it stable, but I'm not sure what the best way to do this is. How do I up the PH safely without a swing? I don't want to stress them out, or wack out my chemistry anymore then it's already been. Also, with water changes, how does it work? Won't I shock them changing the water?

Is this on a personal or municiple water system? I wouldn't use CC as that will push your pH higher than you desire. CC breaks down slowly and would be constantly trying to raise you pH more towards 8.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Is this on a personal or municiple water system? I wouldn't use CC as that will push your pH higher than you desire. CC breaks down slowly and would be constantly trying to raise you pH more towards 8.

+1. Crushed coral is, actually, too good at raising pH. The few things I have heard that it is used for is usually SW tanks and African Cichlid tanks. Your tank will be constantly at 8.0+ pH, and that's not too good in your case. What are you using to test your water? If using an API Liquid Test Kit, how old is it?

 

[Bmtiz92]

Municipal water system. I'm using an API test kit that's probably a little under a year old.
If the CC is a bad idea, how do I bring my PH up? My snails' shells are literally falling to pieces.

 

[blert]

What are you feeding them?

 

[Bmtiz92]

The snails? They get an algae chip every other day 30 minutes after lights out.

 

[blert]

Have you tried fresh veggies that are high in calcium?
Okra, spinach, broccoli, collard greens, celery, turnip greens, kale, soy beans, etc...
Of course, blanch all veggies before offering.

 

[Bmtiz92]

No, I haven't, I didn't realize that would help their shells. They were fine until the PH started dropping, so I didn't think about that.

 

[blert]

If you don't want to use CC then maybe dose with Calcium Sulfate (CaSO4) or a GH booster but you might want to get a few other opinions on that first.
Talking about supplementing for your snails here not necessarily mucking with the pH.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Municipal water system. I'm using an API test kit that's probably a little under a year old.
If the CC is a bad idea, how do I bring my PH up? My snails' shells are literally falling to pieces.

I agree that calcium-rich foods are a quite effective way to repair and maintain snail shells. I have heard that some use a small, but clean, bone to supply them with calcium. (I think we all understand that bones of any kind are rich in calcium, lol.)

 

[blert]

I agree that calcium-rich foods are a quite effective way to repair and maintain snail shells. I have heard that some use a small, but clean, bone to supply them with calcium. (I think we all understand that bones of any kind are rich in calcium, lol.)

Cuttlebone, you can find them in the bird section of your LPS.

 

[Bmtiz92]

So should I just not worry about the PH then unless I see distress in my fish? Do I just leave the cuttle bone in the tank permanently? Or leave it in for a while, take it out, put it back in, etc? Will try them on the vegetable in the morning when I get home and see how they like it.

 

[blert]

Being mostly aragonite, a cuttlebone will also help to raise the pH. By how much I do not know, guess that would depend on the size of the tank. I have no idea if a snail will actually eat the stuff though.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Being mostly aragonite, a cuttlebone will also help to raise the pH. By how much I do not know, guess that would depend on the size of the tank. I have no idea if a snail will actually eat the stuff though.

A snail will wear the bone down and process its nutrients. And yes, you should only worry about pH when your fish are stressed. IME pH is overrated, unless we are talking about African Cichlids, and even then I would not worry excessively.

 

[librarygirl]

Have you tested your tap water by leaving it out for 24 hours and then test the PH? This will be your normal PH and what your tank should be. Sometimes the municipalities mess with it and things change. If it's dropping in the tank though you'll either have to do some extra pwc during the week to keep it stable or add something like CC to stabilze it. I use a few pinches of CC in my filter, not to raise the PH but to keep it steady as my water is very soft. You just have to play with the amounts to see how much to add so that it doesn't drastically raise PH but keeps it stable. If your snail shells are having problems too though (I'm having the same issue with very soft water) try to feed them calcium foods and see if that helps (although I've tried it with mine and they don't go for it, I have nerites though and they can be picky eaters).

 

[Bmtiz92]

Have you tested your tap water by leaving it out for 24 hours and then test the PH? This will be your normal PH and what your tank should be. Sometimes the municipalities mess with it and things change. If it's dropping in the tank though you'll either have to do some extra pwc during the week to keep it stable or add something like CC to stabilze it. I use a few pinches of CC in my filter, not to raise the PH but to keep it steady as my water is very soft. You just have to play with the amounts to see how much to add so that it doesn't drastically raise PH but keeps it stable. If your snail shells are having problems too though (I'm having the same issue with very soft water) try to feed them calcium foods and see if that helps (although I've tried it with mine and they don't go for it, I have nerites though and they can be picky eaters).

I haven't tried leaving it out and testing it, I just pulled water from the tap and tested it straight away. I'll pull some water and set it out now and let y'all know what the readings are tomorrow.

 

[skiweeangel]

I recently had the same issue with my tanks. They were all stable between 6.6 and 6.8, then my municipal water changed and the pH took a huge dive. I found a shop that sells CC by the pound and picked up a small amount. I put in 1/2 tbls and keep an eye on my pH every day. When I got it back up to the 6.6 to 6.8 range I stopped adding and even took a little back out. I placed it right into my HOB filter in my son's 55, in my canister filter in my 55, and right in the substrate in my 10gal. Go slow and keep testing. Once you hit your desired pH KEEP testing. You might have to take some back out. I hope that helps if you decide to take this route, but if your fish don't seem to mind than I wouldn't worry. My fish started to loose their color and look stressed out, although nothing visable had changed and neither had my PWC and vac habits changed I started testing my water to find the pH was so low it wouldn't even register! I thought it might be my test kit and brought some water to my LFS and they confirmed what I had thought (although I had to test it myself because the person on duty didn't know what they were doing! haha )

Wow, rambled a bit. Hope this helps.