n0kturnal

hi all, im by 38 gallon tank (you can see it in the noob intro section in the "hi hi" post) every time i test the ph, it gives me a reading of 6.4-6.6 which you all may know is very low for african cichlids. i added ALOT of ph up formula as directed and tested again, and it seemed to rise a little. the next day i check the ph again and it gives me a 6.6 again. why is the ph constantly dropping down? i've gone through a 37 mL bottle in a week! i think something is really wrong here.

0morrokh

Adding chemicals to change the pH is not recommended. They can be harmful to the fish, especially if you add a lot, and tend to fluctuate the pH a lot. Have you added the cichlids yet? If not, you may want to opt out of them. There are plenty of other fish that will be fine with your pH. There are ways you can harden the water and raise the pH more "naturally" though. Some rocks have that effect on water.

n0kturnal

yes i have the cichlids already, never had this problem before, but im guessing its because of the new tank and aquascape. a peacock and an electric yellow have recently died, and im thinking it was the ph levels.

Gunnie

I would definately try other ways to raise the ph than using that stuff in the bottle. Do you have any coral, crushed coral or holey rock in your tank? All these things can help raise the ph and keep it stable. What is your substrate and how is your tank aquascaped?