hey guys i just recently set up a drip system on my tank and need a little help. everything works fine on the mechanical end of things but after running it for a few days my ph sky rocketed killing 2 super reds. i used neutral regulater and got it back down tested the tap and calgary water was at a ph of 8.4. this would naturally bring the ph back up, the thing is a lot of guys here in alberta have drip systems why is my ph being affected.
drip system
- Thread starter glamit
- Start date
skynoch
Moderator
Hey Glen not exactly understanding everything that happened but with a drip system your water should stay the exact same as the ph in Calgary's water. When you first start the system your ph will likely increase because your old tank water may have been broken down decreasing the hardness and allowing the ph to decrease. The worse thing you can do is add the neutral regulator into the water with the drip as all it will do is cause the ph to dip and then bounce back up to Calgary's ph. One thing you may have not looked at is with a drip system not all filters are created equal and it may not be the ph rise that killed the aros but maybe the filters are not sitting in the housing correctly or the filters life excectancy has run out allowing chlorine into your tank, get a chlorine test kit for pools and just check your drip to see if it tests positive for chlorine.
One other thing I forgot to ask is what type of sand are you using or do you have any tile or deorations in your tank. Some types of sand will raise your ph or also some decorations can also.
One other thing I forgot to ask is what type of sand are you using or do you have any tile or deorations in your tank. Some types of sand will raise your ph or also some decorations can also.
hey chen here in calgary i never had to worry about my ph unless i was getting fish in from other provinces so i never tested my tanks ph. i had my tank run for a month and when scott came by my house he suggested a drip. this is the first i ever heard of this and had to jump on the idea of never having to clean my tank again. My ph went to the highest point of the tester which is 8.8 could've been higher.
hey motoro
my ph was at the highest point of the tester which was 8.8 when i tested my tap it was 8.4. The tanks ph is not neccessarily the same as the tap with aged tank water the ph becomes lower and with a water change it doesnt dramatically rise like mine did. what confused me was that my tanks ph was higher then the tap when originally the tanks ph was lower then the tap.
Hey scott
i barely used the drip when i found out the ph went so high so i think the filters still got some life left. the filters i bought came with the housing and kind of just sits inside. i am using argonite fine sand but was planning on taking it out anyways because my sumps now keep clogging because of all the sand another reason why i wanted to change to the aqua uiltima ii. if i was to do this wouldnt the sand clog up the ultima anyways? should i just take out the sand?? i talked to tim he said it shouldnt bother the fish now as they will get used to it but i am always getting new fish in and rays and aros dont like a ph that high anyways. what to do what to do!!!
hey theo
my biggest mistake was thinking the aros was having ammonia burns and so i took out 3 aros to relieve the massive bio load. what i really did was took them out from 8.8 ph to a tank with 7.6 ph i pretty much dug thier graves for them. Rudy and Scott pretty much gave some step by step instructions thats why i am so frustrated, getting tips from pros that works for them but mine is just fluctuating the water way too much. i dont know whats wrong.
RDFISHGUY
New Member
How did you maintain your Ph at higher than tap water to begin with? How much were you dripping per day? The reason I ask is because my dosing pumps have failed to work on a couple of occasions now. I live in Red Deer which has chloramine in the water and I've never had a problem. I drip 30-40 gallons/day into my 230 and 50-60 into my 360. I don't use carbon block filters just 4 sediment filters. At such a low rate I've never had a problem. I would guess if I increased the volume I would get some catastrophic results.
Consistency is the key. If your ph is bouncing up and down the fish can't adjust. Steady it and they can handle higher ph levels. Another thing to remember is that ammonia is more toxic at higher ph levels. If you had any ammonia present to start with it became more volatile when you increased the ph.
http://www.dataguru.org/misc/aquarium/AmmoniaTox.html
Consistency is the key. If your ph is bouncing up and down the fish can't adjust. Steady it and they can handle higher ph levels. Another thing to remember is that ammonia is more toxic at higher ph levels. If you had any ammonia present to start with it became more volatile when you increased the ph.
http://www.dataguru.org/misc/aquarium/AmmoniaTox.html
Last edited:
i have no clue how the ph adjusted. before i started the drip my tank would've been 7.6 after the aros started signs of burning i tested again and the tester was maxed out at 8.8 then i tested calgary water and ph was 8.4 thats why i am so confused. i am dripping about 100 gallons per day
well on both sumps i have filter socks then egg crate, drip tray, bio balls and then a japanese mat. after the water goes through that i have fluval prefilter ceramic rings then some filter sponges. in my tank all i have is driftwood and sand
Cirrus
Arowana blogger
I missed the reference to argonite in your earlier post. That must be it. I have never used it, but I have a few bags in storage. My understanding is it is for use with African cichlids or marine tanks as a substrate that also acts as a buffer (like corral sand). Have you introduced any rays lately to your tank? If so, their sifting action could have led to increased buffering...?
yah i do have rays in there!! this sand will cause a ph increase?? uh oh!! anybody know an easy way to take out sand??lol
skynoch
Moderator
I would also guess the sand is causing the ph to rise higher than Calgary's ph but if you are dripping 100 gallons a day unless you have alot of sand (I can't remember) then the drip system should still keep it in check. When I first set up my 2200 all my tiles increased my ph dramatically so for the first while I had to drip a very high volume of water to counteract this. For you Glen I would up the drip system for the next while to bring the ph down and then grab a 1" hose to siphon the sand out like you would water into a big tub. Don't take out to much sand at once because your sand will also hols alot of bacteria in it, so slowly take it out of the tank over the next week or two.
I'm guessing you have a fairly thick layer of sand if it's getting into your overflows. I usually only keep an 1/8" layer of sand with small rays and when they become adults you could go as high as 1-2" depending on tank size and the amount of rays. If you are finding to much sand is getting into the filters go with a really fine gravel that is smooth. Usually fine gravel from rivers is the best due to the polishing/smoothing effect. I think the brand name is carib sea peace river gravel which is a natural color and very fine and smooth.
I'm guessing you have a fairly thick layer of sand if it's getting into your overflows. I usually only keep an 1/8" layer of sand with small rays and when they become adults you could go as high as 1-2" depending on tank size and the amount of rays. If you are finding to much sand is getting into the filters go with a really fine gravel that is smooth. Usually fine gravel from rivers is the best due to the polishing/smoothing effect. I think the brand name is carib sea peace river gravel which is a natural color and very fine and smooth.
RDFISHGUY
New Member
Aragonite is what reef guys use to increase / buffer ph. I'd remove it especially if rays are mixing it up. Use a strainer to fill a five gallon pail. If a python will suck it up you can put bucket under the tap and use an old pump or sump pump to pump the sand and water to a floor drain.
yah im gonna have to take the sand out. it has been causing me sooo much headaches. i have a black background on the bottom i prefer to leave it like that but i just put in the sand for the rays to be comfortable.
Syphon it all out with your python. It's too bad no one caught that sooner. I would have to assume the aragonite is the culprit as well. I use it in all my african cichlid tanks to buffer the ph and they are all well over 8.
Perhaps you could add some peat moss in a container/garbage can and allow some water to sit in it. Then use that water to slowly adjust your ph in your display tank. They key is slowly, don't want to PH SHOCK the rest of your fish.
Goodluck bud
Perhaps you could add some peat moss in a container/garbage can and allow some water to sit in it. Then use that water to slowly adjust your ph in your display tank. They key is slowly, don't want to PH SHOCK the rest of your fish.
Goodluck bud
Cirrus
Arowana blogger
Another trick I know. Put a plastic bowl in the tank. Use the python to suck get a bunch of sand waterborn in the big cylinder; then position cylinder opening over bowl and cut syphon flow of water by bending hose; sand falls in the water into the bowl. Repeat repeat repeat. I have done what you are doing now on many occasions (though not with such a BIG tank!).