# pH crash in my 30 gal hex



## northtexasfossilguy (Mar 6, 2009)

Basically the pH will go from around 6.8 or 7 down to 5.7 in four or so days, it's been that way for a while.

I'm not sure what the deal is, but I suspect it's because the gravel bed is very deep and there are anoxic bacteria that are consuming some of the water nutrients... ? It's twice what it originally was as I added some to make a tiered shape and that's when it started.

Another factor are the snails that I had in there, I finally sold most of them but having so many pulled considerable amounts of calcium out of the water.

Any thoughts? I hate to dig it all up and start over but it's looking like removing some of the gravel is the only way to deal with this.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Are you adding CO2?


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## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

How about you introduce us to your tank and tap water in a little more detail? Full setup specs, dosing, feeding etc. would be helpful in narrowing things down. Telling us the KH and pH of your tap water would also be a good place to start.

-Philosophos


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## MacFan (Jul 30, 2006)

Yes, KH is typically increased by baking soda and I don't believe that is consumed - bacterial or otherwise. Calcium and Magnesium affect GH which are important for plant growth, but don't affect pH. 

How are you testing pH? Is it consistent or does it fluctuate? I've seen florescent lighting suddenly start causing false readings on an electronic pH controller. Adding a grounding probe helped the problem, but I learned not to put too much weight on pH controller measurements. I dose CO2 on a mechanical 24hr timer now. 

Michael


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## northtexasfossilguy (Mar 6, 2009)

Well I took it apart and did about a 85% water change, removed a considerable amount of the gravel and washed all the mulm out and replaced the gravel and plants. 

I'm blaming anoxic bacteria on it, it was imbalanced in some respect and for a long time I didn't change anything. I took it apart and removed a considerable amount of the gravel/fluorite mix I was using. It had a ton of mulm built up, which was good for plants but I think it was feeding some methanogens. I think that was the case due to the depth of the water and gravel, along with the fact that bubbles would accumulate in the substrate and rise up when disturbed. I should have tested the gas to see if it was flammable, but I'm relatively sure that was the case.

I don't suspect my CO2 system to be the problem, it is automated and on the light timer.

I do, for sure, have a problem with a stringy white fungus in the tank now. I think it is the reason for the fish problems I was having in the tank, I'm going to try some fungicide in there next. It ruined all my cory eggs.

As far as knowing concentrations of things, I didn't test anything before I took it apart except pH. I'm sure it was soft, low GH KH. Was about 5.6-5.7 at lowest pH. I'm sure nitrates and nitrites were negligible since I had it full of lush plant growth. I changed the filters about every 2-3 weeks, didn't use carbon. It uses a metal halide that is probably 10000k or close to that.


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## MacFan (Jul 30, 2006)

White fungus growing on leftover food pellets is especially common even in perfectly healthy tanks in my experience. Fungus on eggs is perfectly normal too... good fish parents will tend to the eggs and keep water circulating over them and keep them cleaned to prevent it. You can add a fungicide to prevent it on the eggs. But once it's there, you pretty much have to let it run its course I think.


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## northtexasfossilguy (Mar 6, 2009)

Yeah the eggs were lost to that fungus. I'm going to put them in a separate tank next time and throw in some of those all in one medicines to get rid of any fungus.

I'll post an update to this tank when the plants start looking healthy again, I shocked them pretty bad changing out the substrate and water, but it's all bouncing back.


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## MacFan (Jul 30, 2006)

Pretty much the best way to breed is a simple tank (most of mine are planted, but some prefer bare tanks) with a single species of the fish you want to breed. Some shrimp and/or a bristlenose pleco can't hurt. Add a bunch of fine fast growing plants or mosses as they will be home to micro organisms the fry can eat. If the fish require some special breeding substrate like flat rock or a breeding mop, include that too. But in my experience, many fish will reproduce very well on their own. No transferring eggs, etc. The only exceptions I've made, are Discus which I put in a bare tank with a cone shaped piece of driftwood to lay eggs on. I put anti-fungal stuff in after the eggs were laid. If you have some types of killifish that require a dry incubation period for the eggs, you have to collect them and put them on damp peat. But the only killifish I raise are the kind that just need a heavily planted tank. 

The biggest factor in my experience is not having other fish around to eat the eggs or fry. Few species I've raised will eat their own, and often when they do, it's because they're afraid of losing them to predators (mostly eggs). If the parents eat the eggs, they will usually re-spawn sooner than they would otherwise. 

Michael


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