New and stressed!

[Rusty Stork]

Hi everyone!

I am new and have been working for weeks to set up a 20L aquascape. My plants start arriving today and my tank pH is soooo low. My tap water is not low and where I live shows an average hardness of 25.

The only think I can think of is the driftwood I collected an put in...it is fairly fresh I guess? Would that have such a profound effect on pH?

I've tried additive but it isnt helping...the only thing that helps is when I do a water change.

so stressed!

[Aiken Drum]

Driftwood will lower pH. Typically by around 0.5pH, but really depends on how much driftwood, what the starting point of your water is. Other things can affect pH to.

What is the pH of your tank water and tap water?

Do you have fish in the tank?

A really low pH can cause problems with the beneficial bacteria associated with your cycle.

[Caliban07]

Originally Posted by Rusty Stork

Hi everyone!



I am new and have been working for weeks to set up a 20L aquascape. My plants start arriving today and my tank pH is soooo low. My tap water is not low and where I live shows an average hardness of 25.



The only think I can think of is the driftwood I collected an put in...it is fairly fresh I guess? Would that have such a profound effect on pH?



I've tried additive but it isnt helping...the only thing that helps is when I do a water change.



so stressed!

What do you expect will happen with a low pH and why would this make you stressed?

It’s such a shame that pH is touted as being one of the most significant parameters in this hobby because well, I can assure you it really isn’t. In fact it is one of the least important things to contemplate when setting up a new tank.

Things like ammonia, oxygen, food quality should be topping the list right now.

Tap water companies use all kinds of sneaky ways of making tap water ‘just right’ for human consumption. But the truth is it’s not even fit for that. Water companies use chemicals to manipulate pH for a number of reasons. Mainly to stop your pipes corroding and releasing heavy metals in to the water.

Anyways the point is don’t stress of pH. fish can adapt to a wide range of pH and plants can do just fine. Either they will grow or they won’t. There’s no point trying to appease every plant. The ones that like your water will flourish on very little and those that don’t will dwindle away. Take it easy and enjoy the hobby.

[Autumnsky]

Great and very useful advice above.

Welcome to the community and know that people here will help you and this should be something for your to enjoy. It is like an adventure / journey.

The Aquarium Advice article link in my signature below is a good source for some solid and basic helpful information, check it out!