question ph

[natoufly]

Hello everyone,

I currently have an aquarium in which there is a stump of chestnut collected in nature.

the water in this aquarium is black, you can't see more than a few centimetres, and the ph is 5 with 30 ppm.

there's just one big java fern.

three other aquariums set up at the same time (1 month) with the same substrate, but with aquarium roots, and the ph falls sharply below 7.3, with a low ppm too.

I can easily imagine the substances released by the chestnut stump.

Could you explain me ?

 

[MacZ]

What is the ppm? TDS?

If the KH is below 2°, drip tests and test strips for pH do not work anymore, if the EC is under 100µS/cm, a pH meter will not work either.

So tell us something about the way you measured the readings, what source water you use, and of course the numbers.

Maybe also a picture of each tank.

 

[MacZ]

To clarify: No two tanks will behave biochemically exactly the same, even if they are set up identically and run with the same water. Even if you can provide necessary information all explanations will be not much more than educated guesses and it is possible we won't find an explanation model that fits at all.

So just to make sure we don't overlook any factors, we will need:
- readings for KH and pH (essential), GH and EC or TDS (to rule out mistakes) for your source water and your tanks
- your measuring methods
- pictures of the tanks
- your waterchange regimen (frequency and volumes)

 

[Ben Rhau]

If his ppm is 30, it matters little whether it is GH or KH. The water is soft. Chestnut bark is acidic, so I think that's the reason.

Did you make sure that the chestnut stump has been dead for some time (completely dry)? You want to ensure there are no sugars from a recently living plant decaying in your tank.

 

[MacZ]

If his ppm is 30, it matters little whether it is GH or KH. The water is soft.

Well, if it's just KH, that still means 2°KH and I doubt that with botanicals alone it is possible to bring it down to a pH of 5.

If it's TDS or GH it is more likely. Without clarification I won't start speculating.

 

[natoufly]

Hello,



here is a photo of the aquariums they are all 60*30*30cm
placed lengthwise.
for any water change 100% osmosed water, 5l per week.
I do my pH tests with an electronic device, but the result is the same with the drop tests.

aquarium 1

pH = 7,5
kh = 2
uS/cm = 108
no2 = 0
no3 = 0

Aquarium 2

PH = 5,5
kh = 1
no2 = 0
no3 = 0

the strain is not of solid composition like aquarium roots, it must degrade rapidly and release a lot of tannin and humic acid into the water

Aquarium 3

PH = 7,25
us/cm = 192
KH = 3
N°2 = 0
N°3 = 0