Help with PH problem

[WonderBoy]

I have a very well espablished fresh water fish tank (15 Gal)  I have recently added several live plants.  Then today 4 fish die.  I have several fish in the tank so its not a huge loss.  I did some testing and my ph is very asitic.  I know I dont want to just dump some baking soda into the tank to make bring it back to normal because that could shock the fish.  I an doing it slowaly over several hours.  My question is this.

Do live plants make the water asitic?  If so what is the best way to counter this?

I have quite a bit of filtration as well.  Running a 404 to my under gravel and also running a small hang on with a wheel.

Thanks

 

[ronrca]

As far as I know, plants do not make water acidic. It must be something else. What was the pH before? What is the pH now? Have you added any chemicals lately or big water changes? What is your hardness? Do you have C02 injection?

 

[WonderBoy]

OK I did find that using CO2 can cause a pH crash, does anyone know why or how to minimize this reaction?  I did move all of my fish to my 10 q tank and they all seem to be doing well.  It was a slow process since I did not want to shock there systems.

Well I guess you live and learn.  I added perfect pH last night once I got the fish out and tested it again this morning its back up to 7.0.  I am going to try doing another CO2 injection and see if I get another crash.  

So again what causes the pH crash when you do a CO2 injection?
How can I minimize this reaction?

Thank

 

[WonderBoy]

Ronrca:
I dont use any additives to my water except fish food.  I have 100% RO/DI water and its pH is around 8.0.  I do 10% water changes every week (I have a salt water tank to so its habbit). And Yes I do have a CO2 kit that I beleve has caused my pH crash.

Thanks

 

[ChazECJr]

CO2 and water form carbonic acid.  I think the ideal pH for plants is supposed to be about 7 if I remember right.  If your pH drops below this I would try to cut back on the CO2 til your pH stays around 7.

 

[ronrca]

Do you use any buffers in your RO water? Add any hardness or trace elements? RO water has no hardness at all therefore no buffering capacity. Therefore, when adding C02, pH will drop like a rock because there is nothing to stop it. If you treat the RO water before you put it in the tank with a buffer (increase kH), it will counter any change to pH and it will not drop drasticly.

 

[WonderBoy]

chazecjr, ronrca thanks for you insite.

I have been maintaining fish for 20 years and I still learn new stuff every day I think.  I have someone that I talk with through email at Kent Marine for the last 4 years (when I started my first marine tank).  I asked him this question and he told me the same as you have just done.  He recomened using a product called Liquid RO right that returns the dissolved solids back into RO water.  He also said to think about getting a Neutral Controller.  I will be picking these items up on my way home and doing a 50% water change and adding them to the mix.  

 

[ronrca]

There any a number of products around that you can use and it depends on your requirements. I prefer the Seachem brand and they have a neutral regulator (7.0), discus buffer (6.4-6.8) and cichlid buffer (7.4+). By adding these buffers, it will help balance the kH and pH since both are dependant on each other. But do not get these buffers confused with trace elements which add mineral and such back into the water. Good luck!  *thumbsupsmiley*

 

[WonderBoy]

Well to those that may add pH buffers and other items to there tanks.  Be sure to read the directions and all information fully.  My LFS was out of the pH buffer I normal would have used, so I bought another, don't recall the manufacture, but I had every thing ready to go and was about to add my new water with buffer and other additives to my tank when my GF yelled out to stop.  In very very small print no were near the directions it had

"Not for use in tanks with small fish or live plants."

So my suggestion is to read every word on the container twice.