# WHY is my PH climbing??



## Bunnie1978 (Sep 29, 2009)

I have a 10g set up intended for a trio of apistos. It is moderately planted with low light slow growing plants. Substrate WAS soil capped with Turface Pro League Grey, but I soon found out that the Turface is too light to use as a cap. I removed as much of it as I could and recapped with Flourite. Much better for capping! However, before the change with the turface and still now I have a creeping PH issue. After many water changes, adding in some fresh mopani wood, and adding sulfuric acid (PH Down) and after a couple days it gets back over 7.6.

Any idea what might be causing it?


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

What is the KH in the water?
pH is not a stand alone measurement. Other things in the tank control the pH. If you control those 'other things', then you control the pH. 
Do not just add acid to drop the pH. Whatever other things are in the water will simply bounce the pH right back up again. 

a) It was in the tank before you removed the Turface. (Turface removes KH, which drops the pH, so counteracted whatever is doing this.)
b) It may be the Flourite. What kind of Flourite did you use?


----------



## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

In addition to DianaK, have you tested for ammonia?
Flourite Black Sand if not washed well will have a temporary pH rise due to mineral content getting into the water column. I dont know if this is also true for regular F. Black. Onyx will do this as well but tends to be ongoing not temporary.


----------



## Bunnie1978 (Sep 29, 2009)

Sorry It took so long to get this done...
Just ran a whole panel...

PH 7.6 or higher
KH 5
GH 8
TDS 140

By the way, here is a picture..


The tank on the left is the one with Flourite. You can also see how tea-colored the water is from the tannins being leached. The other three still have the turface. It never had a PH drop from original set-up with the turface or the flourite, which is what I expected to happen.


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

And how do those tests compare between the tanks, and what is the tap water, same tests, plus repeat the pH test on some tap water that has sat out for 24-48 hours. 

pH in the mid 7s is not too far off what I would expect with a KH of around 5 degrees. 
They do not always agree.
(I have KH of 4-5 degrees out of the tap, but the pH can approach 8 or even higher- this is a water company issue, though. Carbonates are not the only buffer in my tap water)


----------



## Bunnie1978 (Sep 29, 2009)

Well, between the tanks are pretty similar. I don't have a high range PH test, but I added about 5 times the amount of acid buffer called for on the package and the PH droptest still turned bright blue!!! 
My tap water is about 120TDS, 6.6 PH right out of the tap. 

Also, I set-up a test tank with JUST turface - and guess what?? Way high PH again!!! It must be the turface!! Weird!


----------

