Changing Ph
I do not have a science degree but from what I have read about what takes place in aquarium water I would agree with Lenny and Ray and their points. Perhaps you could test the KH level and if it is found to be very low from the tap add a buffer to keep the water from becoming acidic provided you’re cleaning and changing out enough water to remove the elements that will be converted to acid. Nitrate level (without my science degree mind you), I believe, is still a good indicator of other things that are taking place. I try to keep my bacteria happy by shaking their home under old aquarium water when I do a water change to remove the slime coating from my bio-media so the bacteria won’t starve and die.
> > I don’t think it’s the nitrate, per se, that affects the pH level (maybe if > the nitrate level got really high.. 300ppm+) but rather the fact that if you > have a high nitrate level… 50ppm+, then your N-bacteria (and other > bacteria) have been working hard consuming all of the ammonia/nitrite and > when they are doing their jobs, they also use a lot of the trace elements > and minerals in the water. As these levels (KH, etc.) go down, the pH goes > down also. Further, as the bacteria works on the decaying detritus, they > put out a lot of carbonic acid, CO2, etc. which further lowers the pH level. > > That’s one of the reasons we use the nitrate test level as an indicator of > when a PWC is needed but it should not be the only indicator. > > If you have hard water with a high KH level, the pH will be less affected by > the ecology of the tank whereas soft water with a low KH level will be more > affected by the ecology of the tank. > > Lenny Vasbinder > Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com > (Links to articles referenced above listed on the right side under Archives > - Year, Month and under Labels) > > > > > —–Original Message—– > From: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com [mailto:AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com] On > Behalf Of sullllly > Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 10:25 PM > To: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [AquaticLife] Re: Changing Ph > > I would check my nitrate level. Whats your nitrate level before and after a > water change. In a small aquarium thats over stocked a small weekly water > change may not be suffcient. Its my understanding that the nitrate level can > effect the ph level and its my guess (I could be wrong, but have a feeling) > that your going to find that your nitrate level is going to be higher in the > tank with the low ph. If so this is an indication that you need to clean > more and change more water. Also some decorations IE wood can lower ph. If > you can test for a nitrate level on this tank please let me know I would be > curious. Under 40ppm is good.
> > > > Lenny, I have a question about cleaning hte filter. > > > > So far I’ve been rinsing out the filter each week in the water I > took out of > > the aquarium. I’ve been removing a buildup of yellow gook on the > back of > > hte filter. Am I supposed to remove this guck or leave it there > because it > > contains good bacteria? > > > > Yours, > > Dora Smith > > Austin, TX > > tiggernut24@ > > —– Original Message —– > > From: “Lenny V. aka GoldLenny” > > To: > > > > Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 11:44 AM > > Subject: RE: [AquaticLife] Changing Ph > > > > > > A general fact about aquariums is that the pH will always go down > over time > > unless there are buffers added to the water. You may need to > increase the > > PWC schedule on that tank. > > > > Decaying detritus in the gravel puts out carbonic acid among other > things > > and the bacteria eating the detritus also use up many of the trace > minerals > > and elements in the water and put out CO2. You should make sure > and vacuum > > the gravel to remove most of the decaying detritus which will slow > down the > > lowering of the pH. > > > > Also, regular filter maintenance will remove the decaying detritus > from the > > filter system which is also using up a lot of the trace elements and > > minerals in the water and putting out more CO2 and carbonic acid. > I have a > > long article on my blog about “Filter Maintenance and Cleaning”. > > > > Also, your fish, as they grow, also put out a lot more waste and > CO2 from > > breathing and use up a lot more of the trace elements and minerals > in the > > water. The CO2 from the fish will also lower the pH. > > > > This is why it’s so important to do regular testing on a tank and > do more > > PWC’s (partial water changes) on a tank that needs it. Each tank’s > ecology > > is different and what works for one tank might not work for another > tank. > > > > You mention Angelfish and Catfish. The Angelfish definitely get > much too > > large for 10G or 20G tanks. A single Angelfish needs at least a > 35G tank. > > The Catfish, depending on which species, usually get much too large > for a > > 10G or 20G tank also. > > > > Having undersized tanks will not only cause you water quality > issues but it > > will also cause stunting to the fish which will lower their immune > systems > > and shorten their lifespans. > > > > If you go to my blog, I have a long article on “Hailey’s 10 Gallon > Tank > > Stocking Suggestions” which will give you a better idea of what > kind of fish > > you could keep in a 10G tank that will not cause problems. > > > > Lenny Vasbinder > > Fish Blog - http://GoldLenny.blogspot.com > > (Links to articles referenced above > > listed on the right side under > Archives > > - Year, Month and under Labels) > > > > > > —–Original Message—– > > From: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com > > > [mailto:AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com ] > On > > Behalf Of hamrad45 > > Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 6:46 AM > > To: AquaticLife@yahoogroups.com > > Subject: [AquaticLife] Changing Ph > > > > I have three tanks, 2 ten gallons and 1 20 gallon. A few months ago > I > > switched from using bottled water to tap water for water changes. > All thanks > > have had a ph of 7.6 since the start (over a year ago). I have > noticed over > > the past few weeks one of the tanks ph has changed and is now 6.0. > Note that > > the tap water ph is 7.6 and I add water conditioner to it before > putting in > > the tank as it has a high chlorine content. > > > > Any idea what could have caused this change? > > > > Should I do something to get it back to 7.6? > > > > Also, all tanks have about the same fish types (angel, platy, cat > fish). The > > tank with the lower ph has two snails but they have been in there > for some > > time and the 20 gallon tank has one snail too. > > > > Thanks for your time, > > > > Tom > > > > > > > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 269.24.1/1470 - Release Date: 5/28/2008 > 7:20 AM >
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
