Re: Rookie Stills Needs Help

[JVanDersarl <jmarella at attbi_com>]

Matt wrote:

>I just added a home made diy co2
>injector yesterday in hopes that my ph won't jump. What is the best 
>way to keep my algae and ph down?


Matt, you mentioned that your ph is 8.0. That's not far from mine 
which is about 7.8 out of the tap. The DIY injection should bring the 
ph level down into the mid to high 6 range. With DIY sometimes it 
takes a day or two to get going, but if you aren't seeing the ph go 
down down soon, you might check to see that whatever diffusion method 
you're using is doing an adequate job and also make sure there isn't 
alot of surface agitation, as that drives the co2 off. I prefer 
injecting the co2 directly into the filter intake and have found that 
works very well with DIY.

You're correct about algae and ph lowering products such as the one 
that you mentioned. Some dechlorinators also contain added 
ingredients that can contribute to algae. I use plain ol' cheap 
Amquel.

You haven't mentioned tank size, lighting levels, etc., but the other 
advice I would add is to make sure you have enough plants (ones 
appropriate for your lighting) and be very conservative with 
fertilizer as you start out. Lots of plants will put the algae at a 
disadvantage.

I think you're expressing concern about the effect of water changes 
on fish when not adjusting the ph of the new water. That was my 
concern at first too. As long as you aren't changing too much water 
at a time, the fish seem to do fine. I do 25% and 30% water changes 
all the time without making adjustments and no problems yet.

Hope this helps and I'm sure others will jump in with additional comments.

JoAnn - Shocking, but yes I'm serious now and then :)

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