Ph for C. Orientalis?

Hi everyone :happy:

I'm in the process of cycling a tank for a c.orientalis. Its a 5g long tank with sand as a substrate and some java moss and, java fern tied onto a large lump of bogwood.

Just after adding the bogwood I've noticed my pH has dropped to 6.0 or below. Would this level affect the health of a c.orientalis?



Kirsty

That is rather acidic for most newts. I would shoot for no lower than a pH of 6.4. Anywhere in the "7" range is good.

I know that depending on the water I use, the difference in pH I get can vary drastically. If I use the filtered water I have at my house its very acidic, but if I just use tap water and treat it the pH is around 7.6.

I would test the water before you put it in the tank just to be safe. If that is fine I would take the bogwood out, do a water change and test it again. If you didn't boil and properly dry the wood it might cause a problem. I do not have much exp. with bogwood, it might be naturally acidic. Another thing is the sand, you might not have noticed it before but that can make pH raise or lower. If it isn't play sand, it might be a source of the problem. Hope this helps.

Mitch

Thanks for the quick reply. I couldnt find any info on the desired pH for c.orientalis online.

Its playsand that I have in the tank so that shouldn't be the cause of the low pH. Im certain its the bogwood as some people do use it to soften their water. I only soaked the bogwood for a week or so to let some tannins leach out, i didnt know I should boil and dry it. Does this affect its chemical impact on a tank?

The pH of my tap water is between 6.4 and 6.8 but with the dechlor in it it usually stays around 7.0. Someone has suggested using crushed coral as a substrate to bump up the pH a bit but im not sure if this would lead to unstable pH levels.

Looks like i might need to rethink the tank decor

The ph sounds fine to me. I would leave it as it is considering that the fluctuations of ph are more stressful than a stable, slightly acidic reading. Do not used crushed coral. It can cause unstable readings and is also sharp.

oregon newt said:

The ph sounds fine to me. I would leave it as it is considering that the fluctuations of ph are more stressful than a stable, slightly acidic reading. Do not used crushed coral. It can cause unstable readings and is also sharp.

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I had looked at the crushed coral sand which i assumed would be roughly the same grain as playsand. But if its going to cause unstable pH then i wont bother.

The thing about the pH is that on an API test kit its showing that its lower than 6.0. So at the moment its causing the cycling of the tank to stall. Its fine to use baking soda to bump up the pH for the moment to get the tank cycled, but I obviously cant do this when I have a newt in it. And if i dont do anything to the pH then i assume it will eventually fall too low and all my beneficial bacteria will die.

So i dont think theres a way to keep this bogwood in the tank and keep the pH at an acceptable level. Im looking at other wood online now to see if I can get anything that wont affect the pH and isnt hugely expensive.


Kirsty

If the wood affects the pH this much, I would recommend not using it. You don't want to have to add things to the tank to moderate the pH. C. orientalis are pretty tolerant of pH, but lower than 6 is not sounding good. Do you have very soft (no-mineral) water?

Jennewt said:

If the wood affects the pH this much, I would recommend not using it. You don't want to have to add things to the tank to moderate the pH. C. orientalis are pretty tolerant of pH, but lower than 6 is not sounding good. Do you have very soft (no-mineral) water?

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Im starting to think just taking the wood out the tank would be a better idea. My tap water is around 6.8 - 7.0 pH, when the dechlorinator is in and its been in the tank a few days (with only sand as decor), it usually drops to 6.8.

Kirsty