[hayvennsfish]

Hi all...
REALLY low ph reading in my (almost cycled) 29 gallon (couldn't read it on the test it was so low). Not as bad in the 10. My tapwater has a ph of 6.2 so i'm adding crushed coral to my tanks. Put 1/2 cup in the 29 (in mesh bag) at 2:30 today .... ph has risen by .2 since. Removed filter media and rinsed, was really dirty... wondering if that contributes to ph crash???
I'm wondering .... should I leave the bag in the tank overnite, or remove it for the nite and see what happens by morning? I'm worried about raising the ph too much too fast.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[musho3210]

hmm, try using a very small amount of coral. Then the next day test it. If needed add another small amout of coral. Keep doing this until it is what you want.

 

[hayvennsfish]

Great idea .... i'll remove half of what i've got in the bag and leave it till morning ... then retest?

 

[fish_4_all]

Don't add and remove and add and remove, it will raise and lower the pH too many times and too much and stress out your fish.

First, what is your GH and KH? A very low KH with pH swings will streess your fish out realy bad. GH needs to be kepot steady. Your KH is going to change with the crushed coral also.

As for the crushed coral, you need to leave it in place. It will change your pH accroding to your tank chemistry and then it will stay steady. I add it to my substrate all the time and my pH stays steady at 7.2, my tap is 7.0

Keep posting your results, you really need to keep an eye on things for a while to see where things will level out. Post your results and we will try keep you on track.

 

[hayvennsfish]

Thanks for that!! Wish I could tell you what my other parameters are (KH etc.) but wasn't smart enough to get the info from the lfs (i'm still soooo confused by it all!! lol)
I'm going to have a retest on the water done today ... i'll make sure I get the info this time!!
One more question .... what will happen when I do my water changes?? The tap ph is 6.2 .... won't that crash the ph in my tank everytime I change some of the water?

 

[fish_4_all]

You will need to add baking soda to the new water to balance the pH. I am not sure how much to use but a small trial will help to determine what you need to add. It will help also to add your dechlorinator to the replacement water before adding it to the tank.

Hopefully someone who has experience with low pH will give better information.

 

[hayvennsfish]

Would Bottled Water work?

I'm wondering if it would be easier to use bottled water for my water changes from now on???