SteveOH

So my tanks’ ph fluctuate to the point where I’ve had to add baking soda to bring up the alkalinity (PH) to around neutral (~7.0).  Otherwise, my PH will plummet to < 6.0, etc.  Now it wasn’t really an issue, since it was fairly stable at less than 6.0 (I say that because the minimum reading in my kit is 6, but it had to be less because even after an initial dose of baking soda it still read the same value).  I figured that I needed to do something, though, because every so often I would lose a fish.  Maybe because of the low ph or whatever, but either way it can’t hurt to be where you should be.  So I have to add the baking soda every water change, which is about every 2 weeks or so.  It’s not a set it – and forget it type deal, because it’s mixes with the water and changes the chemistry of it.  Whatever is causing the PH to go so low (a combination of things I imagine) will continue to do so.  Therefore, the baking soda is more of a band-aid approach than it is a solution, but it works and my fish are happy, so I’m happy