ph level going down

**FaRnieGuy** · 10th Mar 2012, 00:18

Need some help here.

Im running a 40cm x 30cm x 40cm(rough estimate) tank.

I have 16 C.Habrosus & 20 Boraras Brigittae & 6 Sakura shrimps(in a satellite breeding tank)

Using black quartz. But I have Amazonia in the satellite breeder box.

I have a coconut husk and a piece of DW, both with erect moss tied to it.

I have no idea why my ph level just keeps going down. After 60% WC, ph is about 6.5, just 1 day later, ph is near 5.. My sakuras are stoning, cories not really eating..

I changed my filter from a HOF to Eden 501.

I only have ph testing kit. So I don't know my other parameters.
Temp is 28-30.

I don't have time to get the bottle of ph Up. Too busy with work.

Dilemma. I'm thinking whether it's the coconut husk that's giving me the problem.

**felix_fx2** · 10th Mar 2012, 00:24

amazonia new or old..

**FaRnieGuy** · 10th Mar 2012, 00:44

Old..

But the problem started before I added the satellite tank with the amazonia

**avex30** · 10th Mar 2012, 13:01

Try removing the coconut husk 1st it still have the issue use a small breeder box leave a few piece of coral chip to let it adjust back slowly i won't do drastic ph up will shock your lifestock

**FaRnieGuy** · 11th Mar 2012, 04:23

Originally Posted by avex30

Try removing the coconut husk 1st it still have the issue use a small breeder box leave a few piece of coral chip to let it adjust back slowly i won't do drastic ph up will shock your lifestock

I've removed the coconut husk. Giving it a day or 2 then I'll check ph level again.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

**Blue Whale** · 11th Mar 2012, 05:53

Can I make the following suggestions?

1. Remove all the fishes and put in a tank without plants and sand bed. Air pump 24/7 operating with air stone. This is to allow the fishes to be nursed back to health. Best if the water ph at 6.5-6.8.
2. Tackle the main tank seperately until it is stable.
3. Can you upload a photo of the tank?
4. I do not think the coconut husk is giving you problem.

Questions
1. How long have you cycle the tank before the introduction of plants?
2. How long have you cycle the tank after the introduction of plants?

**xChew** · 18th Mar 2012, 05:20

heard of using baking soda to raise ph. is this recommended?

**Jalal** · 18th Mar 2012, 07:47

It will bring up your KH in turn bringing up the pH. Problem with this is if the swing is major (KH swing) you risk killing your livestock. I wouldn't mess with it unless it's 100% neccessary, you'll have to remember to mix tap water prior to water changes to match the KH to avoid doing any harm to your livestock. Crushed coral works better IMO with less risk of causing a large swing.

**xChew** · 18th Mar 2012, 18:28

my ph is stuck around 5.5 to 6 for quite some time, will daily 20% water changes give me a STABLE 6.5-7 in ph value?

**Jalal** · 18th Mar 2012, 22:52

It all depends on the pH of the water you're adding to the tank. What is the pH of the water you use for waterchanges?

**Blue Whale** · 20th Mar 2012, 00:16

Originally Posted by xChew

heard of using baking soda to raise ph. is this recommended?

Baking soda maintains kh so that ph does not go acidic so fast. Chances is that you will overdose the soda and the glass will be very powder like. Hard to clean off. Can consider adding water since we are moving into haze season, recent weather pretty dry due to thailand forest fire, evaporation also faster. If rainy day, then do 20-30% water change until comfort level. Don't overdo, it will harm the fish (ph shock).

**Blue Whale** · 20th Mar 2012, 00:20

Originally Posted by xChew

my ph is stuck around 5.5 to 6 for quite some time, will daily 20% water changes give me a STABLE 6.5-7 in ph value?

How often do you wash your filter？ The other thing is to check if you are overfeeding. Even if you feed once, it is necessary to feed only enough for fishes to finish then add somemore.

**xChew** · 23rd Mar 2012, 13:05

Originally Posted by Blue Whale

Baking soda maintains kh so that ph does not go acidic so fast. Chances is that you will overdose the soda and the glass will be very powder like. Hard to clean off. Can consider adding water since we are moving into haze season, recent weather pretty dry due to thailand forest fire, evaporation also faster. If rainy day, then do 20-30% water change until comfort level. Don't overdo, it will harm the fish (ph shock).

been adding trace amounts of baking soda to raise the ph from 5.5 to 7-7.5, but ph would go down to 5.5 immed the next day. been doing daily 10-20% water changes with aged tap water(ph 7.5) but it did not help. please advise thanks!

**xChew** · 23rd Mar 2012, 13:07

Originally Posted by Blue Whale

How often do you wash your filter？ The other thing is to check if you are overfeeding. Even if you feed once, it is necessary to feed only enough for fishes to finish then add somemore.

filter is 3-4 months old after cycling, so have not cleaned it yet. hmm, i thought overfeeding caused ammonia spikes? did not know it affected ph as well. have been feeding my fish once a day, with no leftover food. fish finished the food in a matter of 1-2mins.

**Blue Whale** · 24th Mar 2012, 09:50

Originally Posted by xChew

filter is 3-4 months old after cycling, so have not cleaned it yet. hmm, i thought overfeeding caused ammonia spikes? did not know it affected ph as well. have been feeding my fish once a day, with no leftover food. fish finished the food in a matter of 1-2mins.

first, go clean the filter and observe. now usually it is the plant or soil that give much headaches. so try cleaning the filter and replace the filter medias; because it went so fast on ph, it should be reflective next day. if cleaning doesn't help, can look into resccape already.