Keeping pH stable

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Jeffs

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Messages
25
Location
Newton, MA
Goal: To get a pH of 6.0 in my 4 gallon biorb.
Tank description: undergravel filter, 1.2gpw, heavily planted with java fern, anubias, anacharis, java moss. 1 piece of mopani wood.

I am using the seachem acid buffer and adding it to spring water in gallon jugs. I realize that I can get a pH of 6.0 in the jug but after I pour the water into the tank the next day, the pH jumps to 7 and stay there. I even have an extra jug of water that I put aside and the reading always stay at 6. Why is it that everytime I put the 6.0 spring water in my tank the pH jumps to 7? Is there anything I can do that make the pH stay at 6? My Weitzmani tetras, red dwarf rasboras and checkerboard cichlid prefer a low pH, what should I do to maintain a constant pH of 6? help please!! My Weitzmanis are not doing well and hiding at 7.0
 
Constant PH is hard to maintian at a specific level. Changing or fluctuating PH will make your fish hide more than finding and maintianing YOUR tanks normal PH. Chemicals stip away buffers and will momentarily change your PH at the detriment to your fish. If you want to chemicly lower the ph and keep it stable ttry CO2 supplimentation. Its gonna cost you though if you want a fully regulated CO2 system. A DIY yeast setup wont be able to provide a stable PH level. I would recomend just letting the fish try to adjust to the 7.0 and they should come out of hiding... Sorry if this isnt really the help you were asking for.
 
You need to get some of this stuff! I use it in my CRS/CBS tank and it took the pH from 7.8 down to 6.0 (or slightly lower) and it also reduces the GH. It took mine from 300+ ppm down to 50 or so ppm. You won't be disappointed in the least if you purchase some of the Amazonia/Amazonia II substrate. You will need the smallest bag (3 liters), which is more than enough to do your tank. You can get the stuff here: Aqua Soil Amazonia HTH.

Oh, and I almost forgot to say that before I had the Amazonia II my CRS and CBS were dying and they started to breed 10 days after adding it!
 
I agree changing something like your substrrate or adding untreated drift wood and letting the tannis leach into the water. I have a large piece of mopani DW and it lowered my ph from 8.0 to 6.8 in about two weeks. But even this is a temporary fix as with PWC the tannins will be removed and my ph will go back to normal.
 
Jeff, to keep a low stable pH, you need to replace your existing tap water buffer system with another buffer with the desired pH. If you just put a new buffer (or acid) into an existing buffer solution, you will get pH swings as one or the other buffer is used up.

Generally, it is better to have a stable pH. Unless there is a good reason (such as fish that cannot be acclimatized, or breed), it is best to leave the pH alone.

To replace your buffering system, you need to remove all existing buffers, then add back in the new buffers (plus whatever trace elements that is needed). This is similar to what Salt water people do with their salt mix.

To strip off all buffers in existing water, most people use a Reverse Osmosis unit. There are chemical means of precipitating out carbonate buffers. And for a small system, purchasing distilled water (not spring or filtered!) is an option.

Once you get your pure water, then you can add in a commercial mix to get buffered water at the pH you desired. There are a few of those on the market. I have no personal experience with them. A discus keeper will prob. be able to recommend a good brand.
 
Thanks jsoong!! I'm gonna try and play around with my water abit then, will try with distilled/RO water and play around with the buffers and hope I get some results!
 
While trying to get your chemistry straightened out, don't forget that your fish cannot survive in distilled water at all. It will kill them. They need some minerals in their water. How much depends a lot on which fish you keep but there are no fish that would be healthy in distilled water.
 
While trying to get your chemistry straightened out, don't forget that your fish cannot survive in distilled water at all. It will kill them. They need some minerals in their water. How much depends a lot on which fish you keep but there are no fish that would be healthy in distilled water.

That's not completely true. Fish can live in distilled water (assuming you mean 100% pure water) and they will get the vital minerals from their diet, assuming that the fishkeeper provides a varied diet. It isn't recommended to keep them in pure water for extended amount of time but certainly a month or two in pure water isn't going to hurt an adult. Fry that are under a month old NEED some mineral content to the water. This has everything to do with osmosis and being able to get nutrients across membranes in fish.
 
Actually BS, the mineral content of the water affects the fish's ability to rid itself of wastes and to control its own tendency to absorb water from its environment. Although most fish are adaptable to some degree, the extreme of zero minerals in the water will either kill them quickly or not quite as quickly depending on the fish. On the other hand the water from my RO with a hardness of only about 1.5 degrees would be acceptable for some South American fish.
 
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