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PH keeps dropping rapidly during cycle help!

Aesyir

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Hello I have been cycling my tank for about 20 days now I used seachem stability and it seems to have worked. Ammonia is brought to 0ppm under 24 hours and I'm starting to get nitrates. Here's the problem though, my pH has dropped from high 7s to 6 and under in 3 days or less and it keeps happening. I have been doing 50% water changes but its starting to get annoying will this ever stop and why is it happening. Is the bacteria causing the rapid drops in ph? Any help is appreciated!
 

Liba

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Sorry, I'm just a newbie, so probably not much help. I went through it about month ago. It seemed like forever, but one day it just happened. Hang in there. L.
 

Aesyir

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I know it will eventually work but I want to know why my ph is dropping so much. Like its fine now since its a "fishless" cycle but I cant have the ph swinging around once i got my little dudes in there.
 

Aesyir

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I have a guess tell me what you guys think. The bacteria might be lowering the KH? The ammonia converting bacteria lower kh when making nitrite and the nitrite converting bacteria supposedly bring the kh back into the water. I seem to have alot of ammonia converting bacteria but im just starting to see a rise in nitrates so there isnt many nitrite converters yet so most of my kh might be getting locked away in the nitrites untill i get a decent ammount of nitrite converters to bring it back into the water?
 

Aesyir

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I just noticed my aquarium is making my room smell odd.... Its like a chemical plastic smell. I work at home and spend most of my day in that room should I be worried about my health? My nitrites are sky high but I assume it gets knocked down a few notches when I do a water change to replenish kh ever 3 or so days. could it be that? I also did some reasearch and according to this nitrite doesnt harm bacteria : https://www.reddit.com/r/Aquariums/...ites_do_not_stall_a_cycle_or/#bottom-comments
 
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