Ph Dropping

[Marc]

Having a few issues with water pH at the moment with my 1200L display tank for African Cichlids.

Using 3mm marble chip substrate, and plenty of White Rock in the tank, I added the initial amount of Rift Lake conditioner required to bring my pH up to ~ 8.0

Over the last fortnight it seems to be dropping. Around a week ago it was 7.7 so I added more and it jumped straight up to 8.2

Today I have just tested pH again and it was 7.4! So I've just added more Rift Lake conditioner now, will test soon to see where it's sitting.

Ammonia is absent, but I haven't tested Nitrate/Nitrite or Hardness as yet.

What would be causing the pH to drop, considering I have substrate and white rock along with the Rift Lake salts that should stablise the pH much higher? There is no timber in the water or anything like that.

I did a 10% water change a few days ago when I cleaned the substrate, but I don't think the addition of 10% of lower pH would have made that much difference?

Jools, that high pH bore water of yours is looking handy&#33; http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

Any advice appreciated.

[joz]

Marc,do a general hardness and carbonate hardness test.
Not sure where your tank should be, but raising carbonate hardness will help stabilize it.

I believe ph responds directly to carbonate hardness.
The higher the carbonate hardness the more stable ph will be.

[Marc]

Thanks joz, I&#39;ll give that a crack later on.

[Jools]

marc

Joz is spot on, there is a direct relationship between KH levels and PH.
It is the KH that acts as a buffer against the PH dropping.

Ill fill ya tinny when i get home tonight and bring that down chockers for ya&#33;&#33;

Or even better u just bring your fish to my joint&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;

Lol

Jools

[matt_Frontosa]

Hi Marc just raise your GH to about 300ppm and carb aswell it does not matter about Gh if its over too much because in the lake it is about 300 - 1000ppm

[Marc]

OK hardness comes in at 560ppm or 31.36 dH

pH tonight @ Midnight = down to 7.4 again&#33;

OK... so let me get my head around this. My water is buffered quite well based on the above, but the pH is low (and drops back down).

In theory, the Rift Lake conditioner combined with my white rock and marble chip substrate should set the pH ~ 8.0 ?

Now my tap water for water changes is relatively low ~ 7 or under, would my 10% water changes plummet the pH ?

If the hardness is there, but pH is low, should I use BiCarb only to raise the pH? Or should I continue dosing with the Rift Lake conditioner?

Oh I should have stayed with American&#39;s, why did I go for Africans&#33; http://www.thefishtank.com.au/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif Hehe

[Marc]

Just some more information if it helps anyone try and identify the cause of my dropping pH.

Using a Fluval FX5 with the following configuration:

Top Layer - Sponge then Filter wool / dacron
Mid Layer - Eheim Ehfi Substrat Pro (http://www.aquariumsuppliesmarket.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=281) <---- Is this known to drop pH at all?
Bottom Layer - Sponge then Ceramic Noodles

[Marc]

Think I may have just discovered the problem ....


Eheim EhfiSubstrate Pro: It has a neutral pH and can be used in freshwater and saltwater aquariums.[/b]

Have I figured it?

[joz]

Think I may have just discovered the problem ....



Have I figured it?[/b]

Umm no&#33;

Though at every water change you must add the rift lake stuff to keepp hardness up.if not your just diluting its strenght.

And yep Americans are soooo much easier.

[Marc]

Just thought I would add to this seeing the problem is now solved.

The culprit was in fact the Eheim Efisubstrate Pro. Took it out, and my pH sits consistently on 8.2 now.

Emailing Eheim to see if they confirm or deny my thoughts.

[Jools]

Hey Marc

Thanks for the confirmation of the problem, as we suspected hey :)

I&#39;ll make sure i dont go putting my new eheim substrate on the African tanks then.

Cheers
Jules

[joz]

Just thought I would add to this seeing the problem is now solved.

The culprit was in fact the Eheim Efisubstrate Pro. Took it out, and my pH sits consistently on 8.2 now.

Emailing Eheim to see if they confirm or deny my thoughts.[/b]


Not sure but is the Effisubstrate peat.If it is peat,people with hard water and high ph use it for softening and dropping their Ph.