sudden drop in ph

[slroo]

My PH has always been between 6.8 and 7.0. Makes me nervous when I get a reading of 6.8, but since it has only happened about twice, I always just assumed I read the test wrong. but today when I tested it, I got a reading of 6.6 Any ideas of what could be causing this? I don't have anything funky in there, just the usual plastic plants, gravel and resin ornaments. Will this hurt my community fish?
Amm 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10

 

[Fishyfanatic]

It could be a pH crash. Test your tap water after letting it sit out over night. How often do you perform water changes?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Doing weekly PWC's should help keep your ph stable. But a drop from 7.0 to 6.8 isn't that much, and 6.6 isn't too bad either. As long as it's not doing wild swings quickly. When I do my PWC, my ph goes to 7.2. But from that time til I do the next PWC it goes down to 7.0 or just under 7.0. That's perfectly normal. But keep an eye on it. If it continues lower, you may have a problem.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

couldnt you put like a thing of crushed coral for salt tanks in the filter to buff the water up? just a thought...but i dont know if it would work or not, seeing as its only a little bit of it.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

You could if it really needed it. What is your kh and gh?

 

[noncentric]

What types of things would cause pH to drop?

For example, let's say that dechlorinated tap water sits out for 24-48 hours and measures 7.0 then is put into a cycled tank. What would cause this water to drop in pH? Especially if ammonia and nitrites remain at 0.

The only cause I'm sure of is : adding CO2

 

[BrianNY]

All of the biological processes which occur in a tank work to lower the pH over time. So the more mature a tank is, and the heavier the bioload, the more likely the pH will fall. Regular maintenance in the form of pwcs, gravel vacs, and cleaning your filters, help to stabilize the pH.

 

[TomK2]

Mosat likely cause of a pH drop is water with your parameters is low KH, so there is little carbonate to keep the water buffered to a higher pH. Good tank maintenance, and regular water changes, should keep the pH stable even with low KH. Yes, some crushed coral in a filter compartment can raise KH and pH.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

What types of things would cause pH to drop?

For example, let's say that dechlorinated tap water sits out for 24-48 hours and measures 7.0 then is put into a cycled tank. What would cause this water to drop in pH? Especially if ammonia and nitrites remain at 0.

The only cause I'm sure of is : adding CO2

Adding CO2 will drop the ph, yes.