help with ph please

[gharner]

well, ive been trying to raise my ph for 2 days now. i have been adding baking soda to the tank. the tank is a 12 gallon aquapod. now ive added approx. 11 tsp of baking soda and the ph hasnt rissen at all! im using well water, and we have a water softener so that could be why the ph is so low. how can i bring it up? i wish i could do it without buying any expennsive supplements cause im on a tight budget. would it be less of a hastle for me to just start buying purified water from like walmart or something?
ps. the ph is at 7.8

 

[sigmachris]

I'm only into this hobby for three weeks, but I also have low pH and I use salt water for a LFS.
The LFS person (owner of the store for 20 years) sold me Sea Buffer made by Aquarium Systems. It was only $7.00 for an 8 oz bottle and I'm to use 1/4 teaspoon once a week. So that bottle should last a couple of years.
Not too expensive and it also boosts alkalinity.
My 2 cents, you can keep the change,
Chris

 

[catawaba]

Don't adjust your pH.
What are your Calcium and Alkalinity readings?

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by gharner
well, ive been trying to raise my ph for 2 days now. i have been adding baking soda to the tank.
You have probably destroyed the balance between Alkalinity and Calcium. Whoever told you to add baking soda or any other alkalinity additive or buffer without testing alkalinity first has done you a big disservice.
What is your Alkalinity at now?

 

[gharner]

ohh boy. how can i fix it? my test kit doesnt test for alk. and calcium so i have no idead what their levels are at. forget any more baking soda...... im going with a ph buffer.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by gharner
ohh boy. how can i fix it? my test kit doesnt test for alk. and calcium so i have no idead what their levels are at. forget any more baking soda...... im going with a ph buffer.
PH buffer is usually just baking soda mixed with washing soda, a really bad idea if you don't know your Alkalinity.
You really need to test ALK and Calcium.
For now, do a large water change ~50%.
How long has your system been running? Low PH in a mature system just means that there's excess CO2 in the water. Increasing waterflow will help a lot. Make sure your skimmer isn't clogged and is running properly.
Keep in mind that low PH is a symptom of a problem in your system. Covering up the symptom with a chemical additive does not fix the problem.

 

[24aqua]

do you buffer yout top of water

 

[gharner]

ok. i will get a test kit to test for alk and calcium, i cant get out yet though cause we have some snow and the roads are pretty bad ( im only 16 and im not alloud to drive in any kind of bad weather). i think my low ph is because of our water. i use well water. i definatly cant afford a ro/di unit. should i get a water purifying unit? my hermits are fine but i think the ph is why my turbos died

please help

 

[gharner]

wow, and i feel like an idiot now. everything was going fine. im glad i have this site to help me.....thanks for everything

 

[bang guy]

The low PH is not from the well water.
It's either excess CO2 or acids created from biologic activity (rotting fish food for example).
Excess CO2 can be caused from something as simple as closing up your house for the winter.
A PH of 7.8 will not kill Snails.
Copper from well water can kill snails though...

 

[gharner]

ok so i will get the water purifier. i have an aquapod and i have been battling with diatoms so i have both of the outlet nozzles pointing down toward the sand bed. to get more oxygen into the tank i will add another power head and point it toward the surface to get the water on top moving, and therefor add more oxygen to the water. since both of the filter outlet nozzles are making the water flow down there is kindof a film on the top of the water. how does this sound? :notsure:

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by gharner
ok so i will get the water purifier. i have an aquapod and i have been battling with diatoms so i have both of the outlet nozzles pointing down toward the sand bed. to get more oxygen into the tank i will add another power head and point it toward the surface to get the water on top moving, and therefor add more oxygen to the water. since both of the filter outlet nozzles are making the water flow down there is kindof a film on the top of the water. how does this sound? :notsure:
That sounds right. The film is probably DOCs, the skimmer should be removing it. It's likely that it is interfering with gas exchange and making it more difficult for excess CO2 to escape the water.
Also take the PH reading more than once when you test it. Once in the morning and then once in the evening minimum so you can see the range. PH climbs and falls during a 24 hour period.

 

[gharner]

also what should i do about the snails???? should i try to get more after i do some water changes with the water purifier?
ps. i dont have a skimmer, just been doing weekly water changes. i would really like a skimmer but i dont know what skimmer would work for a 12 gallon aquapod besides the fission nano skimmer and i heard a lot of bad things about the fission.