# *Oil Dri Warning*



## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

keep us updated...


----------



## hooha (Mar 14, 2004)

That's known to happen with SMS as well....i've heard it speculated that it's because of the high CEC capacity.....add some more buffer and it should resolve in a few weeks....


----------



## Psittac (Jan 24, 2009)

I've added 80 gallons worth of neutral regulator to the tank and it just got to 6.0 so now I know my tank isn't off the charts acidic. I'm going to bring the tank to 7.0 and see if it keeps dropping tomorrow. I'm fine with 6.0 water, it's just unstable water or very acidic water that worries me.

Thanks for letting me know that this is common though hooha, I'm a little at ease now.

BTW whats CEC?


----------



## hooha (Mar 14, 2004)

um......cation exchange capacity??? I think....it's been a while since I read up on the stuff....


----------



## Psittac (Jan 24, 2009)

hooha said:


> um......cation exchange capacity??? I think....it's been a while since I read up on the stuff....



I just found out what it means while reading up lol, thanks for the info it's real usefull now that I know what it means.


----------



## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

Some people have experienced a nose diving drop in KH after setting up tanks using SMS and notice a significant drop in PH that accompanies it. The KH and PH levels are eventually said to resolve without any furthr intervention other than regular water changes. Have you tested your KH levels? If I were setting up a tank with SMS, I would treat the same as a tank set up using ADA Aquasoil. I would plant the plants, monitor water parameters(ammonia and in the case of SMS KH and PH), continue with water changes, and then once things were stable add fish. Yes, it requires more work and patience but IMHO, it is probably poses the least risk to any fish added.

I am not too keen on using any kind of buffers that can cause PH swings even short term. IME, fish are a lot less tolerant of PH swings, then stable PH levels, unless the swing is caused by C02 injection.


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi Psittac,

I recently used Turface Pro League for the first time in a Nano shrimp tank and experienced the same effect. The PH and KH initially dropped to very low levels compared to my other tanks (that normally run PH 7.0 to 7.4). I read in this and other forums that this is a typical effect with most of the clay based substrates. I did not add any buffering agents, but I have done 25% water changes for about 8 weeks now and the PH is 6.2. The good news, the plants and shrimp seem to be doing fine.


----------



## Psittac (Jan 24, 2009)

Thanks again for the posts. Everyone seams to be doing ok so far, I lost all of my rummy nose last night but other then that everyone is ok. I got the PH up to 6.7 last night before going to sleep and today the PH is back down to 6.4 so I'm gonna have to keep an eye on it. If it'll drop that much after having alot of buffer in it who knows how low it'll go.(I'm against PH buffers as well because the PH changes every time you do a WC, neutral regulator is 7.0 dead on every time though)

Homer thanks for the advice but unfortunatley this is an established tank. It was an upgrade of an old tank then shortly after I decided to go planted after getting a PC light. I was unaware of how unstable the tank would be otherwise I would have never done this upgrade. I'm going to stablize the tank then lightly plant it and do everything slowly. I don't have a kh test kit but should get one, how can I stablize my kh?

Seattle Aquarist: your tank has been that low for 8 weeks? Do you know how long I should expect my tank to take in getting back to normal? Or is this a permenant buff?


----------



## chuukus (Jun 17, 2008)

Put some crushed coral in the filter.


----------



## fishbguy1 (Feb 29, 2008)

crushed coral will up the Ph to 8.0+ IME


----------



## Psittac (Jan 24, 2009)

I tested my PH tonight and it was under 6.0

after a 10% water change it was still off the chart so I did another 15% water change and that brought it up to 6.4


----------



## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

Just my 2 cents, forget about the pH and just check your KH before and after water changes, or whenever your curious. That and GH is what you don't want shifting for the fish's sake, there are too many arbitrary things that change pH periodically. CO2, O2, additives from the treatment plant, all things that will temporarily alter your tap water perams. KH and GH of tap water should be relatively consistent depending on where you are, so water changes should be all you need for keeping the hardness where it needs to be, that is if you can keep up with the Oildry's appetite.

I'd also be looking up what Seachem is putting in Neutral Regulator. If it has acids in it then it could be contributing to the pH issue. Regulators are the last thing you need when you're worried about this stuff, they're not a quick fix just an extra push on the swing.


----------



## ingg (Jan 18, 2007)

SMS did it, too. I never noticed any adverse effects to livestock.

I got it to buffer out in future tanks by soaking the SMS in a baking soda loaded solution for a couple of weeks before using (because it did freak me out, too).... but those tanks I didn't do that in, everything was fine anyhow.


----------



## Psittac (Jan 24, 2009)

I got a gh and kh test kit yesterday and tested them both, I'm still getting the hang of this kit but from what I can tell initially is that my kh is off the charts, less then 1 degree and my gh is at about 8

the neutral regulator somehow raises ph thats below 7 and lowers anything over 7.

I was thinking of using baking soda in my water changes to help absorb some of the acid because doing a 15% water change every two days barely keeps it over 6.0

I may do what ingg did and syphon it all out and soak it in baking soda because I can't keep up with the water changes not to mention my fish aren't acting to great, the angels have a low appetite and my pleco is acting odd.

Anyone have an idea how long it's going to take to stablize this tank? I'm fine with low ph but not below 6 or unstable


----------



## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

I had the same problem when I used tap. You can ditch the regulator, if you absolutely need some KH to stabilize pH for you, you can just add about a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to 5gl of your tap water and that should put it at around 3dKH with a pH around 7-7.2, not including what changes your particular tank will cause. 

There are a lot of folks here that have been running tanks successfully with no alkalinity, just Ca and Mg hardness, but I do add a small pinch to my RO water to keep a degree or two.


----------



## peter22 (Jul 10, 2008)

When using charcoal turface in all my tanks, what I did was let the gravel age for at least a week or two and do water changes/rinsing the media every few days in a bucket. By the time I was ready to plant the turface I never faced any problems. At first the tank would be mildly acidic at around 6.5 and within a month become near neutral like my other tanks at 7.2 ph. 
In my experience, the clay based products just need to age for a while since of their porous nature and need time to soak/age.


----------

