My never-ending battle with pH

by **Zambize4899** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 10:22 pm

My tanks were started 6 months ago and I've battled pH since then. My tap water produces 8.0-8.2 pH in my tanks. I've tried pH Down, Spring Water, R/O water, aging my water, peat moss, and yelling. Nothing has budged the pH. I recently put driftwood in my tanks and the pH seems to be better, but I get two different readings from two different pH tests -- this doesn't help.

The newer test says my pH is now 7.6 - 7.8, much better, but still not low enough. I've tried adding more driftwood, but the pH doesn't go down any further. My other params are Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 5-10ppm. I change roughly 15% water each week, my tank is clean (little food hits bottom, my fish are fairly clean). I have two tanks like this, a 20g and 37g. I think my pH has killed numerous fish, before I understood about this. I still have fish really needing a lower pH.

Does anyone have any ideas? I'll buy you a tank of gas if your idea works.

Zambize

by **a1k8t31524** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:16 pm

i dont know zambize.... i burn premium.......you sure you wanna do that?

by **Zambize4899** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:53 pm

As long as I don't have to buy it here in Southern California. Besides, one tank is about $100....I can't imagine how many hundreds I've spent on the pH problem thus far. If you fix it, it's premium all the way.

Zambize

by **faile486** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:07 am

From what I understand, R/O water has a totally neutral pH...so if you're using nothing but it, why would it be any higher than 7 (neutral I think?) Do you have any natural rock or other tank decorations that could be raising it?

What's your kH like? I've heard that the higher you kH the more stable (harder to change) your pH will be. Maybe you need to lower this so you can change your pH >.>

When you change your water do you use it straight from the tap, put conditioners in it, use new R/O water? If you can, possibly put your fish in another tank temporarily, completely empty one tank, fill it with pre-conditioned R/O water, let it circulate a bit, test it, then move fish back if everything seems ok.

by **Zambize4899** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:48 am

I used R/O+tap (5-to-1) for a while and it did nothing for my pH, so I started asking around and was told by several people, including some on this site, that R/O wouldn't lower my pH. They said that people use it because it's cleaner water and they want that for their fish. I was also advised to mix it with tap because the R/O has been stripped of necessary minerals.

Nothing else in my tank would affect my pH. I don't test kH...is that hardness? If so, I did test that once and it was off the chart. Our water is extremely hard.

I use straight tap water but I always treat it with a dechlorinator.

Anymore ideas?!

Zambize

by **Snowboss4492** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:25 am

unfortunately i can't really speak to fresh water .............and my salt system runs a higher PH than fresh, BUT, serial32 has been running straight RO and a large chunk of drift wood and his PH never moves ...I think he's right at 7.2 and never budges ....... he also has a "play sand" bed in there and fake plants, so he has nothing that would buffer the PH up or down...............Diesel is 5.07 here if that works {smiles at Z}

Boss

by **a1k8t31524** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:50 pm

you know i just thought of this when i do water changes i use gallon jugs of water just for ease of filling the tank back up, i also age my water for a day or two. but when i treat it i use API tap water conditioner out of a bigger bottle not from a dripper, 1 cap full treats 10 gallons and it is hard to seperate 1 cap full between 10 gallon jugs, so normally i can only get it seperated into 3 or 4 jugs so the water is getting 2 1/2 ish times what it should get so mabey that could have something to do with it..... also i have natural slate and some lime stone in my tank, and mine sets at a steady 6.8.... i dont know hurry up and give it a try b/c i am about at a quarter tank......:)

by **zambize** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:59 pm

a1 --

I, too, usually use more water conditioner than is required! I have slate/flagstone in my tank...I'm not sure if there is a difference between the two. I bought mine at Home Depot and it was sold as pavers for driveways, patios, etc. It can shear horizontally in sheets, rather than chunks like rocks, so I'm thinking it is some kind of slate. In any case, it didn't make any difference. :( As far as limestone, I thought limestone was bad for fish?

Keep going...these were good points!

Boss --

I started using driftwood, adding a piece a week, and finally it dropped my pH in one tank from 8.0/8.2 down to 7.4...if my test is right. It took a lot of driftwood though. I'm still adding driftwood to my larger tank.

Yes, I'll buy diesel. I'll buy you two 55-gallon drums of oil for a pH of 7.2.....

Zambize

by **snowboss** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:57 pm

question - - i "age" my salt water after i mix it, sometimes it runs for a couple weeks before i use it, BUT, when i mix it it's in a tub, with a heater and a power head coverad, so it's curculating the entire time............if you ageing your water in jugs and not moveing it, i'm wondering if your getting "stale" water issues............just a thought

Boss

by **zambize** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:56 pm

I only tried aging my water a few times and it didn't sit still long enough to become stale, I don't think.

Z

My never-ending battle with pH

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