eek, low ph

[p00num3lli]

ok as many of yall know im strugling with high nitrates. so ive been doing many water changes. and my ph seems to keep droping, i just tested it a sec ago after i did a 5 gal water change and it is 7.8. ive been usingseachem marine buffer powder to hopefull keep it stable. it raises it to around 8.2. but i cant seem to keep it there. and my alkalinity is 250-300. or is it just normal for ph drops wen you do many water changes?

[jrsatx20]

What Kind Of Water Are U Using For Water Changes And Top Off

[p00num3lli]

well i know that its ro, but what does di mean? i think i might be using ro/di

[JLiu]

reverse osmosis / de-ionized

[SABOB]

Where are you getting your water from, a LFS or in bottles from supermarket or do you have a unit that filters it?Also are you using the Buffer in the main tank after a water change or adding it to replacement water?

[Dozer]

If your house is closed up tight running air conditioning in this muggy weather, that can be a factor (maybe even leading factor). To see if this might be the problem take a cup of water from your tank, take it outside and stir it up for a minute or so (to get some outdoor air into the water) and see if the pH changes. If it does, it means your house has more co2 and less oxygen during this time of year. When windows are opened up this could change. There are several ways to combat this if that is the case. Also, be sure your method of testing is accurate. Sometimes test kits can have issues with pH, do you have a friend with a pH probe or anything like that? Just some things to think about...

[ErikH]

I think alot of the problems you are having are because you put stff in before your tank was ready. What's your progress there? Sand will help immensely.

[p00num3lli]

i buy my water from the store(because i didnt have enough money for a ro/di unit..) well ive spent about 200$ on water so far so i was like... crap lol i just need 2 buy one.. and im going to get new sand today in houston along with another perc.

[alteredego]

Stop putting fish in the tank until you get the water levels right.
You will just start adding stress to an already damaging system.
Once you get your levels right wait the month until you go to a LFS again to buy more livestock. Otherwise you could end up in a downward spiral.

[Joshua]

7.8 is not the end of the world, mine always got down to 7.8 when running a calcium reactor and everything grew like mad and looked good.