Shadowman196

Just a quick question,my main tanks pH is 6.0,my quarantine tank is 7.6,my tap water is 7.6.
There is no drift wood or moss in main tank.

ammonia 0.5, nitrite 0 PPM, nitrate 10-20. I use Prime in the tanks.

Why would my main tanks PH be so low?

Reason i`m asking is that new fish go to quarantine first ,for a few days ,then to main tank,and the PH difference between the two worries me that the fish may suffer from PH shock because of the huge difference between tanks.

Nate McFin

It looks to me like the plants are using up your KH (carbonate hardness) in your tank. You have soft water I assume. Mine does the same thing. The plants use the minerals in the water which lowers the pH. When you move fish to the QT tank use the water from the main tank. When you go from QT back to the main do a decent size change on the main tank to raise the PH back up some and then acclimate the fish back in slowly.
You can also add crushed coral in a media bag to your filter which will keep you KH up (and hence PH as well) The plants will continue to consume KH but the coral replaces it. Start with a small amount..if the KH continues to drop add a little more and wait a few days to test again. If it drops add a little more. Continue until you dont see the KH drop but also doesnt climb. Make sense? LOL
EDIT- My choice here would be the coral method to stabilize your KH. I use this method myself. It beats water changes!

aquarist48

Properly Maintaining the pH in a Freshwater Aquarium - Rate My Fish Tank
Hello Shadow. You may find this link very informative.
Ken

Shadowman196

Thanks for the info.

Shawnie

ph will fluctuate constantly while in the cycling process...its all normal until the tanks are done and more settled

Beth1965

Thanks for this post, it was informative for me.
Good luck getting your PH where you need it.