Hi there,
I have 135gal tank with clown loaches, zebra loaches, lamb chop rasboras. gold barbs and peppered corrys. My water source is extremely soft (less then 1 KH, GH units) so very prone to sudden pH changes. Although I do routine water changes every 1.5-2 weeks, I still not always catch that sudden pH drop. I've been trying to use small quantities of coral sand in my filter to increase buffering capacity of water, but it stabilizes the pH at ~ 7.2 (I am using a tiny amount, approx 1 teaspoon) and I am noticing that my loaches are not as active at this pH as I've seen them before. I've tried using Seachem Neutral regulator, but it increases phosphates dramatically, and I already have algae in the tank and don't want to promote it even more. Any other suggestions?
How to combat pH drift
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Well, you have eliminated the 2 most popular buffers used in aquariums: KH (baking soda, coral sand, limestone...) and phosphates.
Are you noticing problems with your fish when the pH shifts?
If you keep the GH, KH and TDS stable (less than 10% rise or fall with a water change, for example) it should not matter what the pH is, as long as it is somewhere reasonable for the fish you are keeping.
Most soft water fish are fine with a pH from 6.5 to 7.5, and many are OK with a wider range of pH as long as the minerals (GH, KH, TDS) are in the right range. Changes in pH are less important than changes in the mineral levels.
Are you noticing problems with your fish when the pH shifts?
If you keep the GH, KH and TDS stable (less than 10% rise or fall with a water change, for example) it should not matter what the pH is, as long as it is somewhere reasonable for the fish you are keeping.
Most soft water fish are fine with a pH from 6.5 to 7.5, and many are OK with a wider range of pH as long as the minerals (GH, KH, TDS) are in the right range. Changes in pH are less important than changes in the mineral levels.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
- JonasBygdemo
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