pH falling

[RedTurquoise]

Could be the "prefered" however that really does not matter in my opinion. It almost sounds like bacteria does not grow in ph lower than 7.5.

About the bacteria going dormant? Well, I have a very, very good memory. Unfortunately, very, very short also.

If you go to the link below, some people do mention bacteria going dormant so its not something Im dreaming up.  *twirlysmiley*

http://www.simplydiscus.com/forum/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=2833

But I will find it anyways!

 

[RedTurquoise]

Ok, Matt! I find one article mentioning bacteria going into a resting stage or dormant. However, I did not find the article that I wanted. It went into much more detail. But, nevertheless!

http://www.algone.com/nitrifiers.htm

"So in theory: without ammonia, the bacteria will enter a resting phase without loosing much of their energy, ready to get to work again once ammonia is available."


And remember once that I had mentioned bacteria being sensitive to light especially UV light? Well, its also in that article.

"Nitrifiers are light sensitive, especially toward ultraviolet (UV/ sunlight). Room light has a negative impact on bacterial activity as well. Colonizing the filter is therefore the preferred settlement of the bacteria, as it provides a dark environment. Light exposure (i.e. cleaning the filter) will not cause stress, as the time frame is too short allowing the colony to recuperate within hours."


O and btw, the statement about bacteria prefering 7.2-8.5 ph is true and the important word is 'prefer'.

 

[pdiddymoose]

Good question!

Some one has to know.  Doesn't RO remove KH?  

I'm havin' similar problems.  My tap water has < 1o KH,  when i added Co2 pH crashed.  Stopped Co2.  Added  aeration and have had a gradual increase in pH from <6.2 to ~7.4.  ???  I'm thoroughly confused.

 

[RedTurquoise]

RO water is pure water meaning it has nothing but O[sub]2[/sub]. No hardness, no nutrients, no nothing. Because this is the case, you must 'treat' RO water to add buffering capacity and other elements. Most people mix tap water with RO water.

When I add C02, my ph goes my 7.6 to 7.0 however I can control how much C02 is injected. I use a pressurized C02 canister with a regulator. You will have to experiment with it until you get a prefer ph (1bubble/second, 3seconds/bubble as an example).

If you have a low kh, you can increase hardness (I only wish I had that problem) but please do so in another container or holding tank, not in the tank.

If confused, ask away!  *thumbsupsmiley*

 

[mpg]

alright... i got the paycheck. ran out, got:
a KH / GH test kit,  an extra mini-aquarium so i don't have to keep a net breeder in the main tank, and some other supplies to beef up the aeriation in the tanks.

here are the results:  

tap water:
pH (found out after testing every day for a week)= varies 6.6-7.0
GH = 1 deg.
KH = 2 deg.

tap water that's been sitting for 3 days:
pH = 6.6

boiled tap water:
pH = 6.8

tank water:
ph = 6.2
GH = 4 deg.
KH = <1 deg.

interesting that the tank has a higher GH, but lower KH than the tap water.  also, as you remember, i took the charcoal out of my filter.  it hasn't changed the pH significantly, but i think it's doing something since the test tube takes a few seconds longer to go from green to yellow than it used to. (i know it's a bit of wishful thinking)  :-/

so i think i'm going to leave things for another week.  see if the pH comes up after a few more water changes.  also, after removing the gunky netbreeder, i probably eliminated a big source of nitric acid.

but i would like to hear some ideas about how to raise my KH without causing a pH swing like the baking soda did.

thanks.   *celebratesmiley*

 

[Gnome]

I think What you can do for your low Kh is either use your current Baking soda or buy a "PH stable" from Kent, and you might want to combine w/ "aqua balance" from tetra which stabilize and keep your KH stay high for 6 months?!, I'm not sure if this products (the aqua balance) is really working. I never use them but I think w/ regular water changes and treat the tap w/ Ph stable Will work. Also if you buy the KH test don't forget to test your tap water for KH and PH because this will be a major problem, Like My tap water is low on KH, only 2 to 3 dKH w/ High PH around 8.0 this type of water will swing the PH down to 7 or maybe 6 very fast, so try to get at least 4.5dKH for your AQ water, I have 5 to 6dKH w/ PH around 6.6-6.8 do regular water changes minimum once a week. don't forget that if you change the KH w/ any chemicals the PH will Alter also. I recomend that first thing is to set your KH to desired Level and then after that you can treat the PH. the GH is always increasing because your water tank evaporates, leaving behind the dissolved matter of magnesium and calcium ions. so that's why you do regular water changes and GH doesn't affect PH as much as KH does.
remember to change KH&PH or GH gradually or it will stress your fish.
you can look into this site about lowering GH, KH&PH.
http://www.drhelm.com/aquarium/chemistry.html

and you might want to visit this website for KH&PH in relation to CO2.
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/kh-ph-co2-chart.html

 

[RedTurquoise]

Id keep doing regular water changes, lets say twice a week. If that stablizies the ph, I would not worry about adding anything unless you prepare the water in a holding water and mess with the chemistry everytime. Pain in the butt imo! I hate using chemicals in my water never mind my tanks. Of course, I just recently did use 'chemcials' in my planted tank to aid in ridding green water. I used Jungle Velvet Guard. Says its safe with plants. Well, 3 weeks after I used it, green water is gone alright, so is any algae. And so are half my plants!  > The other half look like they are following.  > > >

 

[Goldfish Freak]

One way to naturally increase KH in your water is to use some crushed coral in you filter or some type of carbonate rich rock such as limestone(in chip form). Try placing a small amount in a filter bag and place it in your filter. Then test the water after a few days. You will need to add or subtract small amounts to determine the proper amount for your application. Once you have found the proper amount, your PH and hardness should remain quite stable. I hope this helps