i have a 30 gallon tank that has been set up for about 7 months. For months the tank stayed at 7.2( doing all the required water changes of coarse)and starting dropping as expected with an aging tank. At around 6.4 in ph i decided to add crushed coral to stabalize the ph. I added a 1/4 cup and it barely moved. I then added a 1/2 cup and it came to about 6.8. I decided that was reasonable so i left it at that and when i did my 25% water change with water of 7.2 it came up to about 6.9 and by morning it had dropt way down to 6.2-6.3. How has this happend and did i not add enough crushed coral.A couple days later so not to stress the fish. I have added another 1/2 cup \ and history has repeated exactly how i have said before.It came to 6.8 , when i did the water change it drops to 6.2-6.3. So what is happening? Do i need more crushed coral ? There is about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of coral in now.
My hardness level is 75-100 ppm and the alkalinity is 40 ppm if not lower. The test kit is API ,aquarium pharmaceuticals . I dont understand. If the tank reacted to the coral how could it drop below the 6.8 it had been buffered too.
Your hardness level is soft. What's the hardness of your tapwater? Add more crushed corals. If this does not help, go over plaster of Paris blocks or marble chips.
My tap water is hard ,but i have been using store bought water, which is soft. So i hopefully wouldnt get the big ph swing that i have been getting. Is 1 1/2 cups not enough. Someone told me that was hardly enough to do anything.
My tap water is hard ,but i have been using store bought water, which is soft. So i hopefully wouldnt get the big ph swing that i have been getting. Is 1 1/2 cups not enough. Someone told me that was hardly enough to do anything.
Both of the things I mentioned can last for a long time and can also help stabilized the pH. Plaster of Paris is cheap and you just make several blocks as desired and add once they dissolve quickly but from your first post, you have no reason to use RO water. Just use tapwater.
My tap water has about 20 to 25 ppm of nitrate present and i do not have a planted tank. so this is why i decided to use store bought.I am not using RO water but store bought spring water in hopes that it is not missing all its major properties.
Is this why my tank has this low ph and struggles to come up? Because of the softer store bought spring water i have been using in my tank. If so , when i use my well water, the ph in the tank rises for a couple hours then drops because of the tanks buffering capacity which i thought would be bad for the fish. What do you suggest? Mayb add corals to bring it up to about 7.0- 7.2 and then do a water change?
Is this why my tank has this low ph and struggles to come up? Because of the softer store bought spring water i have been using in my tank. If so , when i use my well water, the ph in the tank rises for a couple hours then drops because of the tanks buffering capacity which i thought would be bad for the fish. What do you suggest? Mayb add corals to bring it up to about 7.0- 7.2 and then do a water change?
Do you think parrots or plecos would eat and tear apart this plant? Most fish store in my area have poor water condition and i wouldnt trust buying anything from them. The small family owned business i have been going to, they have healthy fish but not so many plants. So i would not know where to get these plants also.
well thank you for your help. I am going to try to fix this over the next few weeks . I thought about making/or buying a refugium for my tank to get rid of nitrates before because i thought the fish would eat them. Also, do certain plants absorb nitrates better then others and are the hornworts good at doing this? How many should i use?
It's usually the fast growing plants such as duckweeds that can consume nitrates better than slow growing ones. Start with a bundle. Your hornworts will grow in no time at all.
I purchased hornworts today. Do I have to worry about special lighting? Do I need to add anything to my water and what do i have to watch out for as far as danger signs of the plant not thriving?
Thats good because i know i dont have any special lighting. I was kinda worried when i got home. I looked up some things and read some articles that said the same thing you tell me. Then others say it does not like soft water, which i have. Some say it needs bright lighting. Maybe they flourish more in brighter lights.
Great thats what i am hoping for. My parrots pick at it here and there but they have other important things to do. Parts of the plant where a little dark when i got it from the store. Just bits here and there. Is that bad? There are also little pod.seed like structures growing from the stem. What would that be, a flower?
thanks for the information once again. I try to do my best with the aquariums but sometimes information is either wrong or cloudy . Then things start to get mest up .Learning everyday........... any other low light plants i might try that wont be food to my fish? I like the look of the real plants.
Amending the last post...It could be new plant shoots.
Java ferns and anubias are tough. Try them but these are also slow growing plants so don't expect them to grow much. Java moss is another one but keep a spare and test if the blood parrots will eat them. Java moss can grow rather fast though.
I have a fluorescent bulb. Im pretty sure? Incandescent are your stantdard house bulb. Flourescent are long tube like bulbs filled with gas that reacts to electricity. Correct? If so that is what i have.
Sorry , i am more of a gear head. Fish is just another hobby i stumbled on along the way. My new house im renting did not allow pets. So that is how i got started. But i think i have Fluorescent light. Time will tell i guess....... What kind of tanks do you have up and running at the moment?
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