General Aquaria Discussion • pH super low issue on a start up tank

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I just completely re-did my 75gal breeder tank, I removed all the fish to a holding tank that's maintaining a pH of 7.8.

In the 75gal I removed all substrate and rocks and cleaned the entire tank with cleaning all natural white vinegar, then rinsed well and let dry fully before adding water. Setting up the tank I put white granulated aquarium sand with black moon substrate. I added granite rock pieces and slat pieces of I think limestone, but not 100% sure. I'm getting a below 6 pH. In start up used the following chemicals:

API Start cycle
API Water conditioner
API Water buffer powder

I'm using a Fluval FX4 filter with amo reduction cubes and super carb for chemical filtration.

Anyway, not sure why my pH would be so low. Any advise would be very helpful.

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Update, my wife told me she read the pH wrong and it is showing 8.0 pH

[Deeda]

Welcome to C-F!!!

Great to hear the low pH was user error!!

Have you tested the pH of your tap water? If not, take a sample in a clean glass container, test it now and then let the sample sit for 24 hours and test again. Post the results for both samples. It is possible that you may not need to add any buffers if your pH remains stable.

Did you clean the filter also?

[[email protected]]

The filter was bought new so cleaning was done during setup. I added the API start cycle and let the tank fully cycle and made sure the pH was where it needed to before I added my fish. Never though about testing my tap water, i live in the sea mountains of the pacific north west and i know my tap is not hard enough to a Cichlids liking, but that's what rocks are for right?

Thanks for the welcome deeda1. Glad to be here!

[DJRansome]

Rocks are not going to increase your pH. But pH=8 is fine.

How do you know your tank is fully cycled? Many of the bottled products promise things they don't seem to deliver.

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I made sure to keep some rocks that had a good amount of the previous tank setup that had been a seasoned substrate back into the tank. And actually im not totally sure that the tank has fully cycled, but its seems like it as all the readings are in good standing. Fish are super active too!

[Deeda]

What are the test results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

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Ammo 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate <40

On Tuesdays is when I do my tank maintenance Ill check everything again before I do my partial water change and see what the levels are.

[DJRansome]

Is there any of the bottled product in there...or is that with just 100% water (and additives other than dechlor)?

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That is with bottled product in there, although I live in a very wet climate that has tap water that is very drinkable. I am going to try and test my water by it self and see what it shows.

I've had all lot of success with this tank over the years and not really having to test my water, (As a newbie and not knowing that I should test it) The Kennyi that I have, he's been in this tank for about a year now and he is the only one left that is not juvenile. And to be honest, until recently I didn't even know what type of African Cichlid he was.

Thank you DJ for your help, I've read over most of your posts helping others and have learned so much recently. Glad to have found this forum and site.

[DJRansome]

The bottled API cycle product is meant to contain beneficial bacteria. If your tank has been running for a year you should not need it any more, because the beneficial bacteria should be growing on it's own. Not sure whether the additive could impact test results.

Your tap water will not tell you whether the tank is cycled. It would not have the ammonia coming in from fish waste, the bacteria "eating" it and producing nitrates.

[[email protected]]

Well let me give you some background of why I put in API Start up.

About a week ago, I had an issue where 4 fish died. Basically I added a new filter and removed the old filter system. When I did this I changed 50% of the water, which would have been fine as I had the mature substrate in the tank, but like a dummy, a week earlier I had removed the mature substrate and added sand as I read it was better and more natural for the fish, easier to clean and so on.
Anyway, a couple of days after I removed the old filters my water became very cloudy and the four fish died.

I immediately removed all the fish and put them into my hospital tank. I drained the entire tank removed the substrate and rocks and cleaned the tank with white vinegar. After rinsing well and let dry I added the substrate and rocks back in. Filed the tank back up and added the API Start then let in run for 24 hours without fish. I added one of the power-filters back on and added some of the old rocks that had the mature substrate back in. After checking all the levels and they were reading in the right ranges, I added the fish back in.

It’s been about a week and the water is very clear, the fish are super active and all the readings are still in the appropriate zones. Hope I did everything right!

[DJRansome]

OK so you started over. The fact that your tank was running for a year before you changed filters, substrate and washed with vinegar is not relevant. IDK if the bottled product impacts the test results. At this point, you can only follow manufacturers directions and look to them for assistance.

[[email protected]]

Thanks for your help DJ. Ill retest on Tuesday and see how its doing without any bottled product. Ill post the results

[DJRansome]

If you added the bottled product when you refilled...it's in there right? You can't get test results with just tank water because the chemical in mixed in.

Also...we don't know how the product works. Maybe it only works when you add it as specified for a period of time. Until the manufacturer says to stop adding it and "now the tank is cycled" I think you have to go with the directions.