pH help

[dimdem]

I'm having trouble maintaining a proper pH in my tank, as I discovered when I had water tested recently at my LFS. Last week when it was tested it was 6.0. I used a "Correct pH" tablet to bring it up to 7.0., and I verified that it did work. (I added it in sections, over a day or two, to keep the pH from going up to rapidly.) The packaging claims that the tablets last for weeks, but I just checked again and the pH is back to 6.0. I have a feeling that adding one of these tablets every few days is not the smart way to go. Is there a better product to use, or something else that I should add to maintain the proper pH? Right now I have plain old gravel, a piece of painted coral from PetSmart, and some silk plants. (My fish are a betta, three small spotted cories, and 6 neons.)

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Stop messing with the pH. It is fluctuating because of the lack of buffering in the water. A stable pH is better than the perfect pH. If you REALLY wanted to slightly increase it, add a little bit of crushed coral to the tank. It is slow and lasts a long time. Kind of like a "set it and forget it" approach. Much better than using baking soda IMO.

 

[Jchillin]

Indeed, chemical additives do not last and will keep your ph swinging back and forth like a yo-yo. Fishyfanatic is correct...a little cc is more natural, lasts longer and won't create the wild ph swings.

If possible, have the carbonate hardness of your water checked as well. A ph of 6.0 is quite unusual. You should also get your own test kits as the LFS are notorious for bad tests.

 

[dimdem]

I do have my own kit (and not one with strips). I just hadn't worried much about pH until the LFS checked it. The reason I had it checked was that I had added several ghost shrimp and they died very quickly. My nitrates, etc. weren't bad, so I suspect the pH as the cause. I'll look into crushed coral, thanks.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Some ghost shrimp just come from a bad batch. I purchased from a lfs several shrimp. They all died within a matter of hours/days. I then purchased from another and had them for about 5 months before they were eaten.

 

[Jchillin]

My nitrates, etc. weren't bad, so I suspect the pH as the cause.

Then prior to adding the cc, it is important to know why your ph is testing so low. A Carbonate Hardness (kh) test will let you know if you have a sufficient amount to sustain a stable ph (3dkh or more). If you do indeed have a sufficient kh, then something is driving your ph down other than tap water.

 

[dimdem]

I'm going to get a kh testing kit today. I double checked my low pH reading last night, and it was still 6.0. I had a bucket of treated tap water sitting around that I was heating to the proper temp for a pwc; when I checked it for purposes of comparison, it was very close to 7.0. Assuming that I do decide to add some buffering, would some crushed shell substrate be an adequate substitute for crushed coral?

 

[Jchillin]

Crushed shells can achieve this, though it's not as good as the cc. The shells can injure our little fishy friends when picking through it looking for food. The installation of cc can be accomplished by burying a small bag under the substrate or inside your filter media basket.

 

[youronlysin]

It certainly can, but it depends on the composition of the shells. You'd have to try it on your own. Crushed coral isnt usually that hard to find though.
I have to agree with everyone else...trying to alter the pH with chemicals is a waste of time and money. Even if you found a product that did change the pH accurately, your first partial water change would hose that up. Stick with a good buffer.

I wanted to comment on the Ghost shrimp discussion. Ghosts are hard to keep regardless of your experience level. You might get lucky and keep some for a long time, but most likely you wont keep any for 6 months. They are EXTREMELY sensitive to water paramaters (you need to watch more than just nitrates) and even more sensitive to CHANGES in water paramaters as well as changes in water temperature. You really need a well established tank with good equipment and regular monitoring to keep Ghost shrimp happy. You HAVE to keep up with water changes and keep the temperature consistent. If your doing water changes when you notice water parameters are changing, your doing them too late. They love heavily planted tanks so long as the environment is a healthy one. With this in mind, just because you lose a Ghost shrimp doesnt mean your tank is unsuitable for other life. Remember they are VERY sensitive.

 

[dimdem]

Thanks to everyone for their help. I did some reading online this A.M. According to my city's water quality report, our tap water has an alkalinity (buffering capacity) of 35 mg/L. I found a conversion chart on an aquarium page that tells me this is equivalent to 1.96 dKH. From what JChillin says, I gather that this is too low and I do need to think about adding crushed coral or something similar. Has anyone ever found cc at Petsmart? I have a better LFS, which is where I get my fish, but they are a long haul, they aren't open at convenient times today, and I have a few errands in the same shopping center as Petsmart.

 

[Jchillin]

Kudos to you dimdem. That is indeed a great way to confirm the test results. You will need a buffer and since your tap is so low, cc is the best way to go...a handful will last a long time. I'm not sure if the Petsmart in your neck of the woods has it but most LFS (especially those that stock SW fish) will have it.

You will still need the kh test kit so you can evaluate the carbonate hardness on a regular basis (nothing like being sure).

 

[Fishyfanatic]

PetsMart should have the crushed coral if they keep saltwater fish.

 

[dimdem]

My hunch is that they don't. I guess they have coral, though, for decorative purposes. And I already have a hammer..

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Make sure it is real coral and not the plastic or cement kind.

 

[TomK2]

Dimdem- you might not need that much crushed coral, so online or mail order might be feasible. If you have a filter with compartments in it, fill one compartment with the CC. CC is essentially solid calcium carbonate, so it dissolves and raises the KH and pH as long as there is some in the solid state. Keep an eye on your ammonia levels, nitrifying bacteria can be substantially impaired by pH below 6.5 .

 

[dimdem]

Petsmart has cc on their web page, but I found out the hard way that it isn't in my store. So I ordered it from Big Al's. I don't have a filter with compartments yetm but see my thread about adding a second filter to an Eclipse 12.