Lets start this right.. 85 gal(us) ammonia 0.25 nitrates 5.0 nitrites 0 PH 6.0
fitler is a FX5 2x oscars 5-6 inch 2x balo shark (temp housing) question is what would cause my PH to drop that low? ( PH out of tap is 7.0) I do 50% water changes ever 3-5 day.. The fish seem to be happy are eating fine. The PH in my 55 gal tank stays right around 7.0.. So what would be causing the PH to drop in the bigger tank ( all fake substucture )

its hard to say realy but have a look at this link it should explain it


fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.200209/msg00016.html


but you need to get your parameters to zero(ammo,nitrite)and slow your feeding right down ..........hope this helps

(the links a bit scientific for me)...i cant spell tracktor but i can lift one!!

Okay, for a start your pH is okay at 6.0. The fish waste is probably causing your pH to drop slightly lower than your 55 gallon. I would strongly recommend you to accept what pH you have and not to mess with it, especially using chemicals. Your ammonia however are too high and need attention. When doing water changes, are you using a water conditioner? Also, are you cleaning your filtration system at all?

I was not sure if 6.0 was ok i had heard 6.4-7.4 for o's but thats good to know i wont sweat the low PH.I have not cleaned the filter in about 4 weeks.. How often do i need to clean the FX5.. I hate chemical so i will not use them if i dont have to. Yes I am using water conditioner and salt on every water change.. If I dont have clorine out of focet do I need conditioner ? Thats for a the help

there is no set time for cleaning filters. You clean them when they need to be cleaned. That may be every three weeks, or every four months. Obviously the longer you can leave it, the happier the bacteria will be because they are not being disturbed.

melcamino wrote:



a quality water conditioner will not only remove chlorine but also chloramines and heavy metals. so even though there is no chlorine in your water supply there might be heavy metals. better to be safe than sorry.

Thanks for the help i will keep using the conditioner.did a 50% water change checked paramiters a couple hour later amm. 0 nitrate 0 nitrites 0 PH 6.4
Thanks for all the help,

if it makes you feel any better my oscars live in 6.4ph ...

My PH is 7.6 right now. All other tests are 0.0. My tap also tests to be 7.6 ppm. How do i get it down to the normal level? i use water conditioner as directed on the bottle?

You can't have a pH of 0.0.

Remember that the pH in your tank is going to be partially governed by what comes out of your tap. So for instance if your tap water has a pH of 7.0 (neutral) and your tank of water alters to 6.5, every time you do a war to change the pH is going to change. If it's a large water change it will probably go back to 7.0. However, it will change again because pH is governed by many factors including fish waste, decor, substrate etc. Things like of rocks & Wood are what we call buffers. Basically this means they have an effect on the pH, some will raise your pH, others will lower it. So it is virtually impossible to keep the pH the same as what comes out of your tap. You've got to remember that you are dealing with a living environment that will control your water chemistry.

Unless you are an expert on water chemistry, don't even try to alter your pH unless you are using buffers like wood and rock. At least these can be removed. Too many people use chemicals when they just don't know what they are doing. They then wonder why all their fish start dying, basically the whole tank becomes unstable because they have messed around with the pH. The majority of fish are perfectly okay with a pH between 6.0 and 8.0.

pH at 7 is normal but may fluctuate between 6 to 8.
what is bad to fishkeeping is the sudden or abrupt
fluctuation, a pH of 6 that went up to pH of 8 in a
day will distress your fishes. sometimes damage extend
to death. so watch out.

Just an up date.. I found out what was making my PH to drop from 7.0 to 6.0 I was putting ZEOLITE in my filter to help with the ammonia and smell. I have since takin it out and PH is staying at 7.0 ... Just thought i would pass it on.