locusdale Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 Can anyone help me with regards to my Ph in that it keeps dropping ? What would be the reason for it and what can I do to keep it steadier ? Thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sez ianchello Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 more info would help,like what type of substrate you have in there and also if you have any drift wood in the tank because that normaly makes the ph drop im sure if you put some shell grite or crushed coral shells in it that the ph will be stable Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.d.m Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 a steadily dropping ph is normal in any tank , together with a rising nitrate level, we normally keep these in check with partial water changes , preferably weekly, depending on your stocking levels, but sez is right ,some more info would help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlidbreeder Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 limesand is good keeps ph at 8.1 or more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
locusdale Posted October 7, 2004 Author Share Posted October 7, 2004 The substrate is a 3mm gravel, there are a few flower pots in each tank and they have plants in them. they are not heavilly stocked only 4 to 5 fish and water changes are done every 2 weeks ? The water is very soft ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeWs Fish Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 go to your local fish store. If you have a canister filter buy a media mad and fill it with crushed coral. put this on the 1st level of your canister filter. If you dont try and buy some dead coral, or chunks of limestone or crushed marble etc and put it down as a subtrate. Also make sure you do regular water changes. I know this can be tedious and you may know u can get away with a water change eevry 3 weeks or a month easilt but if your ph etc keeps dropping then this is what u have to do. If you have Bristlenose in the tank - they poo alot - clean up after them every 2-3 days with a siphon too Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gav Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 can I ask what fish you are keeping? the answers to how to keep your ph up will obviously depend on your fish. bullseye 7 is a buffer you can buy that will keep your ph right on 7. you add it to each water change and you won't have a problem. it can be purchased at any good lfs. this is great if you are keeping general community fish. if you have south american cichlids its most likely you will want a slightly lower ph. i believe you can also buy a bullseye for a lower ph range as well. this will also buffer your water to that ph. if you have discus, well thats not exactly my area of expertise. I am going to say the only thing you shouldn't do is add any sort of calcium carbonate product to the tank (ie limestone, coral or marble). its quite likely you would make your water parameters unsuitable for discus (too hard too alkaline). but I am far from an expert on that, so hopefully someone else can comment further if needed. lastly if you have africans its really easy, follow what mike said in his post and you will make your africans very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novafishy Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 if you have discus, they will want a soft acidic water. i can confirm that bullseye DO have a product for a lower ph range. not sure what ph it is tho, but ive seen it before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
locusdale Posted October 8, 2004 Author Share Posted October 8, 2004 Thanks for the help and advice guys. I have Africans , so I will buy some coral sand today and put that in the tanks and see how we go. Actually the tank that is the most stable has a heap of sea shells in it and some shell grit. Thanks once again, will keep you posted as to how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 The drop in pH is caused by the nitrates which are building up between water changes increasing the acidity. HTH - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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