Hello everyone, I am struggling to control my pH.
I have a low tech 40 gallon tank (no CO2 injection, very low lighting) and the fishes I have demand pH slightly acid, around 6.8 and soft water.
I also have a couple of anubias bartieri that I took out from my high tech tank and go very well with low lighting.
My tap water is ph=6.8, KH=1 and GH=1.
So, I add Seachem Equilibrium, Alkaline Buffer and Acid Buffer to raise KH=4 and GH=4, keeping pH at 6.8.
However, at the tank, pH is raising up to 7.5.
- I use inert substrate that don't raise pH (already tested water + substrate to prove that)
- I am not using any rock or decoration that could affect pH
- I have a quite big driftwood (that actually should lower pH...)
- I have 2 brazilian discus acara bandeira, 1 pleco, 1 flying fox and ~15 neon fish (I am not sure the name of the fishes in english, sorry)
- I have 3 anubia bartieri plants of 5 inches each
- I use seachem matrix midia only in my canister filter
1. I need help to understand why my pH is raising to 7.5
I heard about biogenic calcification, but I don't see any calcification in my plant leaves and we are talking about 3 small anubias in a 40 gallon tank with almost no lighting (other than natural light).
2. How could I lower pH back to 6.8
I heard about peat moss, but didn't want my water to get dark due to tannin. I am also afraid of putting peat moss and still don't solve the issue.
Any ideas/suggestions?
Thanks a lot in advance
I have a low tech 40 gallon tank (no CO2 injection, very low lighting) and the fishes I have demand pH slightly acid, around 6.8 and soft water.
I also have a couple of anubias bartieri that I took out from my high tech tank and go very well with low lighting.
My tap water is ph=6.8, KH=1 and GH=1.
So, I add Seachem Equilibrium, Alkaline Buffer and Acid Buffer to raise KH=4 and GH=4, keeping pH at 6.8.
However, at the tank, pH is raising up to 7.5.
- I use inert substrate that don't raise pH (already tested water + substrate to prove that)
- I am not using any rock or decoration that could affect pH
- I have a quite big driftwood (that actually should lower pH...)
- I have 2 brazilian discus acara bandeira, 1 pleco, 1 flying fox and ~15 neon fish (I am not sure the name of the fishes in english, sorry)
- I have 3 anubia bartieri plants of 5 inches each
- I use seachem matrix midia only in my canister filter
1. I need help to understand why my pH is raising to 7.5
I heard about biogenic calcification, but I don't see any calcification in my plant leaves and we are talking about 3 small anubias in a 40 gallon tank with almost no lighting (other than natural light).
2. How could I lower pH back to 6.8
I heard about peat moss, but didn't want my water to get dark due to tannin. I am also afraid of putting peat moss and still don't solve the issue.
Any ideas/suggestions?
Thanks a lot in advance
Comment