Low ph help

[Shauna]

29 gal that has been set up for 10 months, ph has started drop and is currently at 6.4

My tap ph is 6.8 and basically non-existant KH and GH. I didn't realize when I set up my tank, that I would need a ph buffer.  I add Seachem Equilibrium with water changes and wondershells every few months along with easy green and my plants are pretty happy. Just worried about the fish if ph continues to drop. I should have started with crushed coral mixed with my substrate.  I also have 2 large pieces of mopani wood that probably contribute to the ph dropping. I really don't want to just dump crushed coral in with my brown gravel.  Are there other rocks that will buffer ph?

[Cory]

You can use a larger piece of crushed coral to do this as well.

[Fish Folk]

What I do is to put a few cups in a  porous black bio bag, and hide it in the back... and cover it with Java moss... like a crime scene 😂

But I’ve also dumped it out on tan gravel like you have and mixed it in. I like the look, personally.

[ARMYVET]

On 6/25/2021 at 3:26 PM, Shauna said:

29 gal that has been set up for 10 months, ph has started drop and is currently at 6.4

My tap ph is 6.8 and basically non-existant KH and GH. I didn't realize when I set up my tank, that I would need a ph buffer.  I add Seachem Equilibrium with water changes and wondershells every few months along with easy green and my plants are pretty happy. Just worried about the fish if ph continues to drop. I should have started with crushed coral mixed with my substrate.  I also have 2 large pieces of mopani wood that probably contribute to the ph dropping. I really don't want to just dump crushed coral in with my brown gravel.  Are there other rocks that will buffer ph?

That tank looks fantastic!  Great job on the scaping of it!!

[Shauna]

On 6/25/2021 at 12:39 PM, Fish Folk said:

What I do is to put a few cups in a  porous black bio bag, and hide it in the back... and cover it with Java moss... like a crime scene 😂

But I’ve also dumped it out on tan gravel like you have and mixed it in. I like the look, personally.

Thank you! That's a really good idea.  

[Shauna]

On 6/25/2021 at 12:34 PM, Cory said:

You can use a larger piece of crushed coral to do this as well.

Do you have any experience with seiryu stone? Does it work like crushed coral? 

[tonyjuliano]

On 6/25/2021 at 5:51 PM, Shauna said:

Do you have any experience with seiryu stone? Does it work like crushed coral? 

Nope.  Has no effect on pH or hardness.

[Koi]

On 6/25/2021 at 2:51 PM, Shauna said:

Do you have any experience with seiryu stone? Does it work like crushed coral? 

It might work, I think seiryu stone is a type of limestone and your water might be acidic enough for it to start eating away at the stones till calcium/carbonates leach off of it.

I've definitely noticed that  my ph gets buffered to around 6.4 even if I try lowering it even more. Usually my ph stops dropping and starts to stabilize while gh/kh slowly rises throughout the week.

Edited June 26, 2021 by Koi

[EndlersBoi]

On 6/25/2021 at 12:26 PM, Shauna said:

29 gal that has been set up for 10 months, ph has started drop and is currently at 6.4

My tap ph is 6.8 and basically non-existant KH and GH. I didn't realize when I set up my tank, that I would need a ph buffer.  I add Seachem Equilibrium with water changes and wondershells every few months along with easy green and my plants are pretty happy. Just worried about the fish if ph continues to drop. I should have started with crushed coral mixed with my substrate.  I also have 2 large pieces of mopani wood that probably contribute to the ph dropping. I really don't want to just dump crushed coral in with my brown gravel.  Are there other rocks that will buffer ph?

Aragonite sand works wonders and looks natural, i usually layer some when i place the gravel/substrate down. My ph usually holds steady around 7.5 w/ Gh around 120-160 and Kh around 120-180

[Hobbit]

If you want to just stick a big ol’ rock in there, any type of limestone will raise your pH, KH, and GH at least a little. (Maybe a lot, so keep an eye on things.) Some online sources are saying that seiryu stone does raise these parameters, but I’m sure different places sell lots of different gray rocks as seiryu, so your mileage may vary.

[Koi]

On 6/25/2021 at 10:32 PM, Hobbit said:

If you want to just stick a big ol’ rock in there, any type of limestone will raise your pH, KH, and GH at least a little. (Maybe a lot, so keep an eye on things.) Some online sources are saying that seiryu stone does raise these parameters, but I’m sure different places sell lots of different gray rocks as seiryu, so your mileage may vary.

I think it’s illegal to export from Japan or at least it was a long time ago. I just assumed they just used another rock and labeled it as seiryu stone.