water para. issues

[Guest]

Hi all,

I have a concern with my water para. Thought I would throw up a post here on AA before I stress and start blindly researching (I've been known to do that ).

Here's the short. I got a 37g heavily planted tank up and running 3 weeks ago. Problem is, money got tight, so I was unable to purchase a good water test kit. Well I finally was able to get a test kit. Heres my test results (keep in mind I did each test twice just to make sure it's accurate). Tap test were straight from the tap.

tap tank

7 PH 7.6 (ouch)
2 GH 10 (ouch again)
--- Nitrite .25
--- Amon. .25

Obviously my concern is the rise in GH and PH. I was wanting to do a SA tank with tetras, hatchets and a couple of Rams. I'm running a Filstar XP1 with two types of sponges, ceramic noodles and peat moss that I boiled and dried out before installing. I also used three pieces of small to mediumish sized pieces of driftwood to help naturally keep the water soft and acidic.

Now heres where I think I went wrong. While browsing a LFS I ran across some "moon rock" as they called it. I've also seen it called "amyx lace rock". It's the grayish rock with all the small caves in it from when gasses expanded while it was cooling, forming interesting pockets and shapes. Anyways, I really liked it and stacked 6 or 7 pieces into the tank while building it to form some caves etc......

Is this whats causing my rise in PH and GH. I'm almost certain it is, just wanted to hear some opinions before my blood pressure shots through the roof and I start running around frantic :?

You'll have to excuss my ignorance. this is my first planted tank. In the past I've ran African Cic. tanks. I cant imagine where I got the rock idea from

 

[Allivymar]

Sure sounds like it. Testing it with an acid (out of the tank of course) will let you know for sure; some folks use vinegar but I've heard that may not be strong enough; muriatic acid seems to work better. If the rock bubbles, dump it.

Take a peek here for more info: http://www.uniquaria.com/articles/sr.html

 

[tkos]

I guess the question is whether or not the new pH and Gh is stable. Obviously large water changes could be an issue but small ones would probably not change things too much. As for wanting tetras etc.. those stats are fine, stability is the main issue. The only problem could be with breeding but not a normal life.

Since this is a planted tank have you thought about the addition of CO2 gas to the tank. This would use up some of that buffer and potentialy drop the pH down. A planted tank with a high GH isn't necessarily a bad thing.

One more thought is that eventually the rocks will get covered with a biofilm. I am not sure how long that will take but it will mean that the added carbonate to the water will slwoly diminish. So make sure to test often.

 

[medge00]

have you tested your tap water after its sat in a bucket for 24 hrs? sometimes your tap is not as low in pH as you first thought... after it sits for a bit, a more accurate test can be taken....

as far as your problem, co2 will lower those numbers. it looks like you have solid kH, so you dont have to worry about pH swings as much (do test often like tkos said though). I've used peat with some success as well. I find it doesn't darken the water as much as I thought it would and it may be able to get that pH closer to 7, if thats what you're aiming for (just don't break the bag... see my post on my ram and broken peat bag)

 

[Guest]

I just finished testing my tap water after letting it stand for 24hrs. Turns out the ph is 7.6, gh 2. I then retested the tank and got a ph of 7.6 and gh of 3. Perhaps I got a little excited and added the drops to fast on the GH test the first time. Today I reread the instructions and added one drop at a time muuuuch slower. Darn newbies

I also tested a 5g QT tank that I have had running for two weeks with two year old gravel and a well cultured filter. Again a PH of 7.6 and GH of 2. Looks like my tank is stable after all.

I would'nt mind bringing the PH down some. I really did'nt want to run CO2 due to the simple fact it intemidates me. At this point I am going to check into it. My Java Moss and all my stem plants are pearling nicely just dossing Excell and liquid ferts. I can see with my various Swords that they would appreciate the CO2. The swords do have root ferts sunk into the Eco, but I think they would really flourish with CO2. Looks like I will be learning about preasurized CO2.

As for the rocks, I'm going to leave them in and monitor the water carefully. I really like them, so does the java moss and shrimp.

Thank you all for the help.

 

[TankGirl]

I know you don't have it now but put a KH test kit on your shopping list (did your GH test also come with a KH test?). KH is a good value to know when it comes to a planted tank, and will tell you if your water can hold a stable pH.

You could do a DIY yeast CO2 in a 2-liter bottle, and run the air tube into your canister filter intake, which will be a pretty simple way to get started with it. After a while you will get tired of fooling with fermenting your own CO2 and upgrade to pressurized, but it is an easy way to go. You will need to know your KH before you start dosing CO2 though, so you do not swing your pH around.

If your pH is the same as the tap and the mature tank that does not have the rock, then I would not worry too much about the rock. If your KH is too low (under about 4) then the buffering action of the rock will help raise your KH. Driftwood might not hurt things, either, and java fern and shrimp adore that, as well

 

[betowess]

Mojo, you can get a couple of ladders (Hagen's are about 5 to 8 bucks each) or run it in the intake as Tankgirl suggested. You'll be pleasantly suprised how easy it is to set up a couple of diy CO2s with 2 liter 7 -Up bottles. Two cups of sugar, tablespoon each of yeast and baking soda and six cups of water, some airline, a drill to drill the cap and maybe some silicone glue to seal up the cap. Piece of cake, each bottle lasts a month and down goes your pH and less chance of getting that nasty Black Brush Algae (BBA) which thrives in alkaline water. I second the suggestion to get a KH test... HTH I