help : extremely low ph

[roark]

Posting on behalf of a friend who's too lazy to do so himself.



Tank Dimensions (LxWxH): 60 x 30 x 36(cm)
Lighting Intensity(No of Watts) : 55w
Type of Lighting (FL/PL/MH) : pl
No. of Hours your light is on: 10-12 hours
CO2 Injection Rate (bps) : diy co2
Type of CO2 (DIY/Liquid/Tank) : diy co2
Method of Injection (e.g. Diffusor/Reactor): flipper
Substrate Used : sera basefert with normal gravel on top
How Thick is your base fert : abt 1.5cm
How thick is your gravel : abt 1.5 - 2 cm
Liquid Fertilizers Used : Lushgrow aqua
Frequency of fertilization : once a week
Tank Temperature : 28-29degrees celcius
Type of Filter (overhead/internal/canister) : internal
Filter media used : black sponge and ceramic rings
How long has your tank been set up : about 1month

Fishes : 10-12 cherry barbs, 2 SAEs, 8 yamatos, 1 molly.
plants : blyxa japonica, hairgrass, java moss, erect moss, x'mas moss, java ferns(normal and narrow leaf) and a few other stem plants that I do not know the name as I'm a newbie myself :P


He's wondering why the ph test he performed reads 4.5-5.5. When kh test is performed, it reads 3kh. Both test kits by Sera. Plants are surviving though not doing great and the taiwan and erect moss has some brown(chao ta look) patches on it. What should he do to raise the ph in a safe method for both his plants and fishes?? And what causes the ph to be so low??



Any expert mind dishing out some help and advice? Help will be greatly appreciated.

[bclee]

Chances are your pH or KH reading is inaccurate. Re-verify the readings with other kits.

BC

[theodore]

pH reading he obtained could be wrong. Ask your friend to check the pH again using another testkit or test pen.

Blacken moss should be due to high temperature rather than pH. Installing some fans should help bring it down to a more moss-friendly 26-27deg C.