Ph Dropping Too Far?

So I have recently acquired my own liquid test kit and I think that my ph has been dropping too far? (The reason for all the changes is I'm currently medicating with malachite green and formaldehyde for ich)

My tap water tests around 8.0.
With 50% water changes over two days it dropped to 7.8 for those two days. I did a 20% change and got a reading of 7.6. Now I missed a day of water changing and it has dropped to 7.2.

My last water test I had done was about a month prior with a test strip and it had a reading of between 6.5 and 7.0 which was directly before my weekly water change.

I have soft water and driftwood.
Does anyone know if that is dropping too much, too fast?

 

7.6 and 7.2 are fine for most tropical fish, and its not dropping too low in that case.
The test strips are not accurate enough, so I wouldn't worry about those readings..
What size is your tank and how much driftwood do you have in it? If you feel its too low you can always remove a piece of driftwood. The changes that you see from your tap water to your tank after a few days is because the driftwood is working to lower the PH level in your tank water.

 

Definitely dropping too much and would definitely be hard on fish. Before taking any action to remedy the situation though you probably would be best off knowing what your kH and gH at least are. It's a very large swing so I don't know that adding crushed coral or something similar that's often recommended is going to solve the problem. Knowing what you test at will aid in knowing the best solution for you.

With swings that dramatic you may well need to look at what you have in the tank also. Namely your substrate, be sure it is inert and not buffering your water down too.

 

Definitely dropping too much and would definitely be hard on fish. Before taking any action to remedy the situation though you probably would be best off knowing what your kH and gH at least are. It's a very large swing so I don't know that adding crushed coral or something similar that's often recommended is going to solve the problem. Knowing what you test at will aid in knowing the best solution for you.

With swings that dramatic you may well need to look at what you have in the tank also. Namely your substrate, be sure it is inert and not buffering your water down too.

Yer I read recently that anything more than .4 was too much? Well ive only ever tested gh and kh with a test strip. results were GH: 60ppm KH: 80ppm if that helps any?

Edit: I have gravel substrate. I rinsed it thoroughly before putting in, I have no idea if its releasing anything though?

 

The GH and KH again are ok for most tropical fish at the level you wrote above.. Gravel should not alter your PH by that much, but if not cleaned/vacuumed regularly it can change your PH due to the fish waste caught in it I have read.
TexasDomer
Might be able to help with this, I can remember him helping me when I had the same issue last year

 

The decline isn't the worst of it and neither is the end result even dipping as low as 6.5 is "ok" for many fish, the jump back to 8 on water change days is what really is going to cause the most stress.

If the strips are accurate, which based on the pH fluctuations they are apt to be close, you do indeed have very soft water. Enough so that I don't think adding crushed coral is going to resolve the problem entirely.

Most gravel is fairly inert, a buffering substrate is generally something that you will pay for and is significantly more expensive. You'd likely know that you paid for fancy stuff at least lol

It's highly unlikely that your driftwood is significantly affecting your tank pH. You would need to have a fairly large amount of mopanI or Malaysian dw releasing tannic acid (tannins) to see swings like that and your tank would be deeply tinted, it's not something you'd miss. Driftwood generally kept in most aquariums doesn't affect the pH significantly, contrary to popular belief the smaller pieces especially after all the boiling and soaking that people do before hand to remove the tannins there's just a very negligible effect.

What size tank do you have and what is your current stock? What filter do you use?

 

Yer I don't think my driftwood is leaching that much anymore, although it was for the original 6.5-7.0 readings. I was just concerned for that exact reason that its going to bounce back up to near 8 if I do a significant water change.

I usually do 20-50% per week and I vac thoroughly (I have a messy BN).

My current stock is just the BN and a Pearl gourami. Unfortunately over the past couple of weeks ive lost 16 tetra and a GBR. So I don't know if that can affect ph at all?

I have a 20 gallon (just over) and a 200-400L internal which currently has the carbon removed.

 

You have very soft water. You are lucky you have test strips to tell you that - the API Master kit doesn't help in the least with that important info. Test strips break down in time if you are not really careful, and cost a lot more than liquid reagent kits, but they are just as accurate and often are more useful - when they are new. It's the breakdown with time and the cost that gives them a poor reputation.
Chances are, your municipality is adding to the water to protect the pipes, as soft water is usually acidic, and that wears on water systems. It's a common temporary fix. I would do more, smaller water changes, at around 25%. At certain times of the year, my town can give pH 7.5 water that reverts to a lovely 6.8 in a few hours. It doesn't seem to bother any fish except my killies, which don't give eggs until the water has returned to form.

 

Makes it tough with an internal filter. They are small and don't have much room, can't really do a lot with them.

I avoid chemical solutions, so I'm struggling with this one.... I don't have any ideas that would not involve a bit of cash to do.

I'd get a hang on back filter, the marina ones with the bio wheel are fairly inexpensive, and also pick up a bag of crushed coral. Take the media out of your internal, transfer it into the marina and add a nylon or media bag with half a cup to a full cup of crushed coral. See if it stabilizes it closer to your tap parameters. Though in honesty a kH booster may suit your needs better as with the drop occurring as quickly as it is I don't know that the crushed coral can keep up with the drop.

Maybe someone else can chime in with another idea that would be less expensive.

 

Thanks a bunch. I shall try doing smaller water changes and see if I can get it stabilised. Hopefully I won't have to try the crushed coral, but I intend on getting a bigger tank before I get any more fish, so I can add crushed coral to the filter I get for that if I have to.

 

I would get a kH gH testing kit. It will confirm soft water. Water changes won't be enough to keep your pH stable, unless you do them several times per week.

Crushed coral isn't the only option. You can use cuttlebone, aragonite, Texas holy rock, seashells. All of them, including the coral, can be added straight to the tank as either decorations, or in a small container sitting in the tank. Doesn't have to be in a filter.

Another option is one of those sponge filters that have compartments. Add the crushed coral to that. I use them in my betta tanks and they work well. I use sponges, coral, and rings in mine. It would be a cheap, easy addition to any tank.