Major PH Decline

[SeiWhat]

Started my tank 10 days ago....ran it 24 hours after set up then set up my Betta in his new palace....48 hours after that...I added a few neon tetras, dwarf frog and some kind of sucker fish....
PH was running 7.6 or higher (my test max is 7.6)...performed a 20% water change 8 days after initial set up...was going to wait a couple weeks for cycling but, foam was appearing on the surface....after change...PH was at 7.2...until the following day....it's now at 6.0 or below (my test min is 6.0)...I attempted a PH up and no change....took the fish that are still alive out...lost the sucker and a tetra...brought the PH back up to 7.0 after a hassle of PH up and how much and grrrah....but, anyway...brought it up and checked it 2 hours later...it's down once again to 6.0 or below!!  Whaw....I don't understand what's happening....
All other tests indicate 0.0
Any info you can offer would be phatty!
I lowered the temp to 74 was at 78/80 and have been using the airstones.
Tank is 10 gallons...with river rocks and pebbles...

 

[eseow]

Not sure of your setup, but add some Florida Crushed Corals to your substrate or place a bag of it in your filter. This will offset the PH drop and stabilize it till you can figure out what is the cause. Might raise it high though. As for PH drop, if bio-load is large, then acids produced by nitrifying bacteria will cause the decline. Crushed coral will melt under acidic conditions and neutralize the PH drop. *crazysmiley*

 

[ronrca]

What is your hardness, general and carbonate? You might have soft water.
Another thing is ammonia levels? Ammonia, I believe, will lower pH.

Kinda of sucks adding fish to your tank right away and finding out something is wrong. It is better to do the fishless cycle and see what problems can occur before introducing fish.

 

[luvfishies]

What's the pH out of the tap? Just asking cos the water company here changed what they do recently and my pH shifted a FULL POINT....

Sounds like you have very soft water. Any driftwood in the tank? Could also be phosphates.....

I would suggest stopping using the pH up for now....your pH is bouncing all over....we need to find out WHY it dropped WITHOUT the added variable of pH up.

 

[SeiWhat]

Thank you all for your thoughts and advice!
Well, out of the tap the PH is 7.6 or above (test max is 7.6)...
I just received a phone call here at work-another tetra has passed on to fishy heaven.  Poor thing.  Mind you...the tetras have looked like they've been on drugs for the last couple days....chasing and nipping each other...the Betta has been moody too.
Now I have a Betta, tetra and dwarf frog still living.
I'm not sure what to do....
Thanks again!!!

 

[catfishmike]

it's been said before that if you do a water change to a tank that could be very high in waste content eg.no cycle,4 month water change etc... you can have an instant ph shift and instant dead fish.but in that same vein i've had to break down a tank and start it without almost any good bacteria.try fishless cycle or use a betta and take more time before adding fish.a fresh caught fish is going to be most open to instant death.

 

[eseow]

As for major water changes, the majority of people who do them don't match conditions of new water to old. In the most part, it IS BAD to change extreme amounts of water, unless you match temperature, PH (within 0.5 or only enough to shift it 0.5), etc.,. If these measures are taken, then the less chance of shock or death to fish. All things considered, the condition and strength of the fish will also determine the end results.  *crazysmiley*

 

[snowplankton]

  You said that you used river rocks? It could be those rocks that is messing with the chemistry. Some of them leach all kinds of trace elements into the water. I would put the fish into another tank or at least container, Get the rocks out, and start over using one of those instant bacteria cultures you can buy. Then watch your water parameters. Or if nothing else take them out (rocks) and do about 15 to 20% change every other day to see if it levels out. I don`t think the Ph formulas will help with those types of rapid chemical fluxes in your tank.

 

[ronrca]

If anything, the river rocks should actually be increasing pH and also hardness. And about the "instant bacteria cultures", a waste of money. Im not entirely sure as to how they can keep bacteria in a bottle for x number of months without food.