[jaygorton]

Hello! I have a new tank, The PH is around 6.0- 6.5 and I just tested KH at 9. My tap is around 8.5 and any buffer I put in doesnt keep the ph down for to long so I started using RO and building my own water parameters. I mix the RO with tap and some equilibrium and buffer from seachem. When i put the water in the tank i shoot for a KH around 4 and a Ph around 7.

I inject co2 and my drop checker is dark green most of the time (not the lime green you get as you get close to yellow but more of a forest green)
I'm trying to raise my PH so I added some crushed coral to my filter and its raised the kh but my ph is still pretty low. My fish are fine so i think my drop checker isn't off.

I have used test strips and test tube style tests for both KH and PH both agree with my readings.

I have tow large manzanita branches I gathered fresh from around my house, they have been soaking for at least 6 months already, not leaching tannins anymore.

I have a fluval fx6 creating a flow across the top of my tank with pretty good aeration for my 125 gallon tank

 

[Greggz]

You've got a lot going on there.

Some of what you say does not make sense. No way is there water that is dKH 9 and pH 6.0 to 6.5, unless it's heavily injected with CO2.

And you can't dose water to 4 dKH and have a fully degassed pH of 7.0.

There is a relationship between dKH and pH. Higher dKH water will have higher pH, and lower dKh water will have lower pH.

And when you say you add a buffer to keep down pH, what are you talking about? What are you adding. If it's the Seachem buffer that raises dKH and pH, not lowers it.

First thing I would do is get a calibrated pH probe. It will give you more accurate readings than strips or test kits.

The Equilibrium has nothing to do with pH or dKH. It raises GH. And the Alkaline buffer is just a carbonate that raises dKH, thus raising pH (says so right on the bottle).

First thing is to get an accurate reading of the tap water. Leave a glass of it out for three days or overnight with a bubbler in it. Keep testing pH until it stabilizes.

Next is to see what may be affecting dKH/pH in the tank. What is the substrate? Do you have any rocks in the tank? Remove the crushed coral, as there isn't a planted tank in the world that needs it. Most plants prefer very low dKH, so raising it with coral is exactly what you don't want to do.

Like I said, some things you are saying just don't add up. I'd regroup and retest everything as described above.

 

[jaygorton]

sorry the buffer i used to raise the PH