pH problem!

hello everyone, i just recieved a free 8 gallon biocube from a trustworthy friend. i ran the tank for a day with just water and tested the pH, i got 8.3. so i added live rock and live sand and bam! pH drops to 7.8 so i added the correct amount of buffer. no change. did it again. same result. i did a 20% water change and tested the next day still 7.8. added buffer and stilll same thing. everything else is fine. alkalinity, temperature etc..... what do i do?

 

What kind of rock is it? DIY? Was it set up as a tank before? Is there enough airflow over the surface of the water?

 

umm i have two rocks 1 is a big peice of premium fiji branch rock and the other smaller one is just premium fiji rock. i have the stock filter and a nano powerhead....air flow, well the its covered....

 

Open up the top and get some air in the tank. It's likely a lack of oxygen from a lack of air exchange.

Check in a couple hours. If the pH goes up, you need to do something to get more airflow.

 

it's cycling. give it a week to straiten out. new setups have to cycle even if the rock was from another tank and the sand also

 

Re: pH problem

so a week or two and i should be back at 8.3? and its a bio cube so its covered..... i opened it up and the pH rose some.... i would leave it open all the time but the lights are built into the top so if its open then light goes everywhere but the water. there is a small opening thats about 8 inches long by 1 inch wide....you think if i have a fan running on that will it be ok? thanks

 

You need more airflow if opening the top and letting air in raised the pH. Try the fan idea.

If that doesn't work, maybe try hooking up a skimmer.

 

like a protien skimmer? and am i going to have to let a fan blow ove my tank 24/7? or just for like a certain period of time for a certain amount of days?

 

It needs to be something constant, or the pH will drop and rise and drop and rise. Fluctuations like that in pH aren't good for anything in the tank.

A fan could run over it to get air over the top, or you could use a skimmer. I know quite a few people use skimmers on biocubes, but I don't think they use them on the 8 gallon ones.

You might want to try a fan. The fans used in computers work for the purpose.

 

Re: pH problem

oh see here i am with a fan (not a cieling fan but a plug in fan) blowing air over the tank LOL it worked but ok now i know waht you mean...and are you sure its not just cuz my tank is cycling? thanks