Low pH?

[epond83]

I just tested my water and apperantly my pH is low, like close to 6. Its a SA cichlid tank. I'm going to do a water change, but i was wondering what can cause this? i have a piece of wood in there can it lower pH?

 

[Fuzz16]

what was the pH before? 6 seems fine to me for SA cichlids....
have you added anything else to the tank, i dont know if the wood would do anything...it may soften the water a bit but not a whole lot.


what kind of fish are in there?
fish can adapt to a pH so you should be fine

 

[JWright]

Depends on how long the wood has been aged.

It could very likely be the cause of the low pH. You could also have naturally soft or acidic water.

A pH of 6 is certainly nothing to worry about.

 

[epond83]

Well it acutally my dad's tank and i just got back in town. He isn't always on schedule for maintace, nitrates were pretty high so it needed a water change anyways. Our tap water is about 6.8. He use to have Aferican Cichlids so i spaced and forgot SA can drop below 7. So yeah when he gets off work I'll have to ask him about the tank. The wood i bleive he found (i think by a lake) and soaked and scrubbed it for a while (soaked for atleast a week) it's been in the tank for 6 months or less i think

Thanks for the help