H.E.L.P Advance soil not buffering ph

[mpohlc]

Hi all,

I am using H.E.L.P Advance soil for plants to keep plants and shrimps.. recently I realised that the ph before co2 injection is 7.6. after co2 injection is 6.4. i have only used the soil for 2 months plus however i washed it before though.. can anyone tell me whats wrong? my shrimps are always hiding ammonia/nitrite tested 0 and nitrate below 20 ppm

[mpohlc]

Also I top up water every other day because I'm using a hang on fan. Tank size 40 by 18 by 25

[Urban Aquaria]

Looks like the HELP soil you're using has exhausted its buffering ability... from the feedback and experiences posted by other users over the past months and years, it seems this soil tends to have a rather short buffering lifespan. Not sure if its a coincidence, but it seems like almost every few weeks, someone will be posting a thread asking for "help" when using HELP soil.

Solutions could be to change the soil to one which has a longer buffering lifespan (ie. ADA Amazonia aquasoil)... or add more driftwood/tannin releasing ketapang leaves/peat extracts to buffer the pH lower (they'll make the tank water tea colored though).

Anyways, its still okay to stick with the current soil substrate (unless you need to maintain lower pH for certain livestock), but do monitor the livestock conditions as the swings in pH from alkaline 7.6 to acidic 6.4 could result in potential issues, especially when it comes to ammonia toxicity. If the pH changes are gradual, most fishes and shrimps can handle it, but if there are any sudden swings, like if a large water change was done when the pH is low and and happens to swing the pH upwards, even tiny undetectable amounts of ammonia can turn toxic enough to affect the more sensitive livestock.

[mpohlc]

If I were to keep crs, it is impossible for it to breed under this condition right ? And if I were to top up tap water (due to the rapid evaporation for using fan) should I only top up when ph is at 7.6 to prevent ph swing ?

[Urban Aquaria]

If I were to keep crs, it is impossible for it to breed under this condition right ? And if I were to top up tap water (due to the rapid evaporation for using fan) should I only top up when ph is at 7.6 to prevent ph swing ?

Well, if you are keeping CRS, it'll all depend on how well they have adapted to such conditions. Breeding rates will vary, but its possible they can still breed if they are adapted and comfortable with the tank environment.

Check your tap water pH, if its on the alkaline side (>7.0), then its better to do water changes when the tank water pH is also in the alkaline side (and vice versa), so that the overall fluctuations would be minimal.

[mpohlc]

Okay ! Thank you very much ! Maybe I will consider removing co2 injection so as not to stress the shrimps