low ph kills bacteria

[jpchin]

is it true that a low ph (which is why i have blue rams) will kill beneficial bacteria? my ph has naturally been at 6.0-6.2 since my tank has been set up so instead of fighting it, i chose fish that like a low ph however someone said that low ph kills beneficial bacteria. is this true? my water parameters are ammonia0, ph6.0, nitrite0, nitrate 10. i do water changes every 3rd day. i use seachem water conditioner and seachem stability with water changes. also use flourish excel for plants. 45 gal. coffee table aquarium. 53" long, 23" wide, approx. 12" deep. thanks

 

[-Mac-]

To answer the question directly my research indicates yes, a low PH can slow or even stall the growth of the beneficial bacteria in aquariums. That said, apparently stable PH is the key.

If the fish have been thriving, I wouldn't worry about it. Bacteria grow in a broad range of parameters, the colony in your tank has learned to survive in your tank. My recent experience has proven that a PH under 6 (<5) is about what it takes to significantly slow the growth of bacteria. So long as the PH isn't that low, or bouncing around, which is not optimal for the fish, nor the plants, I think you're going to be fine.

 

[eco23]

is it true that a low ph (which is why i have blue rams) will kill beneficial bacteria? my ph has naturally been at 6.0-6.2 since my tank has been set up so instead of fighting it, i chose fish that like a low ph however someone said that low ph kills beneficial bacteria. is this true? my water parameters are ammonia0, ph6.0, nitrite0, nitrate 10. i do water changes every 3rd day. i use seachem water conditioner and seachem stability with water changes. also use flourish excel for plants. 45 gal. coffee table aquarium. 53" long, 23" wide, approx. 12" deep. thanks

The beneficial bacteria becomes less efficient at colonizing and converting at lower pH levels. At 6.5 you'll have the potential to see a slow down, but if it drops considerably below 6 there is the good possibility of all nitrification stopping entirely.

I'm on my iPad, but I can link a couple articles a little later if you're interested.

Why are you using the Stability during each pwc? Really you just need to keep a close eye on your pH, ammo and no2 levels and do pwc's when needed as long as the tank is cycled and established (as it appears it is).

 

[jpchin]

thanks for the links. what happened was that when i added my last 4 fish bringing me to capacity, i had a slight ammonia reading. just slight green tinge. not near .25 but not a solid yellow( those api ammonia color charts are a real pain) anyway my guy at the lfs said to add stability as directed for a week and since i have blue rams i do a water change (10-15%) every 3rd day. i also add stability to that water as directed. so that's the game plan. my ph is always stable.between 6.0-6.2. never changes. just worried that my beneficial bacteria might die at that ph. but i've heard some cichlids need ph as low as 4.5-5.0 and they are kept in aquariums so the bacteria must survive in that water. thanks for answering my question. really appreciate all the advice that people are willing to give. this is a great sight for all us crazy fish people

 

[eco23]

thanks for the links. what happened was that when i added my last 4 fish bringing me to capacity, i had a slight ammonia reading. just slight green tinge. not near .25 but not a solid yellow( those api ammonia color charts are a real pain) anyway my guy at the lfs said to add stability as directed for a week and since i have blue rams i do a water change (10-15%) every 3rd day. i also add stability to that water as directed. so that's the game plan. my ph is always stable.between 6.0-6.2. never changes. just worried that my beneficial bacteria might die at that ph. but i've heard some cichlids need ph as low as 4.5-5.0 and they are kept in aquariums so the bacteria must survive in that water. thanks for answering my question. really appreciate all the advice that people are willing to give. this is a great sight for all us crazy fish people

There's a couple more articles I've seen with basically the same info...but this is the one I could remember off the top of my head.
http://www.bioconlabs.com/nitribactfacts.html

Personally I'd try to get away from the Stability. In the opinion of most of us on this site, there's almost nothing a chemical can do better than a bucket and a bottle of water conditioner like Prime when it comes to mini-cycles. Some people claim success with cycling products, but personally I'm quite leery of them after a lot of stories I've heard of unstable biofilters being traced back to the bottled bacteria. You've probably already got the info, but here's a great article to help you get the tank stabilized again (the title won't apply to you...but the info is great ).
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...-but-i-already-have-fish-what-now-116287.html

 

[jpchin]

low ph

hey thanks for the info. i went to the site and found out that the spike in my ammonia is probably ionized nh3 which is not nearly as toxic as regular ammonia. i agree with you that you shouldn't add a bunch of chemicals into the tank to take care of a problem but stability has no chemicals in it. it's just bacteria to help with the "new tank syndrome" i'm not sure if it actually works but i am on a 7 day program(which ends on monday) after that you add once a month and during water changes. i also use prime for my water conditioner. i do a water change every 3rd day for my rams. the other fish are just lucky they get the benefits! the rams need clean water at all times. thanks again.

 

[jetajockey]

It's kinda unfair to generalize all bacteria boosters as one in the same. That'd be like categorizing all water conditioners as one in the same.