Ph Issue?

[JZK]

I have a 20g extra high (24"h, 20"w, 10"d) that is heavily planted (anubias, java fern x 4, dwarf sag x 4, hygrophilia, and aponogeton x 3).... I have 3 pieces of driftwood, 2 small, 1 large, various rocks.... substrate is EcoComplete. Tank is about 2 months old, cycled using seeded material from a previous tank, levels are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, less than 5 nitrates. My Ph is only about 6.0 though.... is this too low?

Tank is stocked with 2 guppies (previous tank), 2 Danios (ditto), 7 neon tetras, 5 Amano Shrimp, and 1 yellow rabbit snail. The shrimp all hide, so I assume I still have all 5 (have not found any dead), the tetras have taken to hiding regularly too but they are new so I take this as normal acclimation.

Is my Ph too low? I tested my water after gassing it, and it is about 6.4. It is about 7.0 right out of the tap. Should I try to raise it?

 

[Coyne]

I'm not an expert on guppies, but most live bearers due better with a higher pH. The rest of your stock should be fine but it would be worth looking them up individually to make sure.
You might want to test the water's KH and GH too. General Hardness (GH) will give you an understanding of how much mineral content is in your water. This can be important for shrimp, snails and plants that pull some of their mineral needs from the water column. I think a GH of 6 is sufficient in most cases.
KH is a little trickier to describe, but the short version is that it provides stability to the water's pH. Fish don't like it when the pH changes too much or too quickly. Having a stable, consistent pH is more important than trying to land on a certain number. Plus, unless you're using RO/DI water, changing (and maintaining those changes) the water's pH is pretty difficult.
It sounds like you have soft, mildly acidic water; which is something many hobbyists dream off. To put it into perspective: I go through all the trouble and expense of running my tap water through an RODI system and then remineralize it in order to get the kind of water you have directly from the tap. [emoji23]

 

[JZK]

Thanks! We have pretty decent water... phosphates are the only issue usually. I did a partial water change (10-15%) and vacuumed up some of the algae wafer that no one wanted. I also removed the corkscrew val that keeps melting, so the dying leaves and decaying food may have been part of the problem. The large driftwood is still releasing A LOT of tannins... I almost have a black water biotope going on... hence the acquisition of the tetras since they favor that.

Is the low ph the reason the tetras and shrimp are hiding or is this normal behavior?

 

[Coyne]

I think neon tetras and shrimp actually prefer a lower pH. I've never kept Amano shrimp or Neons though. I'd recommend a little research on both to be sure.
My experience with other shrimp is that they don't hide unless they're molting. Normal behavior is for them to be constantly moving from place to place looking for food.
Your tank is pretty tall in relation to its other dimensions. Do you do anything special to keep the water on the bottom circulating? I'd recommend an air stone, if you don't already have one. It will help pull water from the bottom up to the top, which in turn circulates water from the top towards the bottom. Better circulation = better oxygen content throughout the tank. Not sure if that's your issue, but it's an easy and inexpensive place to start.

 

[JZK]

I was wondering that, but most things I have read do not recommend airstones in a planted tank. The tetras are staying near the mid tank to lower, which is normal for them. I would think if oxygen was an issue, they would be at the top, but am not sure. I have an Aquaclear 50 HOB filter working and seems to do okay.

Tetras apparently like the more acidic water although I may have to rehome the guppies since they do not. The shrimp like the ph above 6.0 although mine have been molting, so they should be okay.... I would just like to see them once in a while...

I may just do some small water changes over the next couple of days and monitor the situation and see what that gets me....

 

[Coyne]

You're right, I think if it was an oxygen issue the fish would be hanging out close to the surface.
There's no real problem with air stones and plants. I think some people think that it will cause a reduction of CO2, but that would only be the case if you were injecting CO2 into the aquarium... and even then it wouldn't be a huge factor. You didn't say, but I suspect you're not injecting CO2.
I'd still recommend making sure you have good circulation. Low flow can cause other problems, most notably algae. Take a look at your plants. They should all be moving/swaying about a little if there is enough current. When I added a small circulation pump to my 20 long, my BBA problem was significantly reduced. There was a minor uptick in fish activity, but I can't say for sure it was because of the increased flow.

 

[V227]

Maybe your driftwood is causing the ph to lower. If ph dives continue to be a problem you might consider adding a small limestone rock into your tank or a small amount of crushed coral into your A.C. to buffer the water.
If you bought your livebearers locally, chances are your LFS did nothing to alter the water for them and they pulled through okay. Like coyne indicated, you have fish fantasy water, your chances for success are high.
Good luck.

 

[JZK]

Checked the water this am, and it is fish fantasy water..... pH rebounded to 6.4ish. Shrimp we're all hanging out except one I saw yesterday. Neons are still hiding but I chalk that up to acclimation still. I want to go single fish species (tetras) in the tank but have had the other 4 so long, I would hate to part with them.

I am not injecting co2, supplementing with Exel instead. I will think about the airstone.

Thanks!

 

[TMaier]

Addition of a bit of coral/aragonite in your filter will keep your ph from dropping.