High ph and home depot gravel

bluemeate

bluemeate

AC Members
Sep 9, 2008
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i want to put a few live plants in cuase they make thee tank look better

Well from the tap my ph is like in the low 7s and then when it sits in the tank with my home depot pea gravel it goes up to 8.0 to 8.2 .... Well im guessing thats the reason why....

But can i grow plants in this? Will it make some things harder? Am i just fine?

Will the homedepot gravel cause any other problems? Hardness? Kh? Etc?
 
Odds are that the increased PH is going hand-in-hand with an increase in hardness. If minerals in the pea stone are leeching into the water, the effect will probably last a long time. You can control it to some extent with water changes. I wouldn't suggest using any products to "fight" the PH, and if it came to that I would suggest getting rid of the gravel first. You can still grow plants in hard water, but it may limit your choices and success.
 
should i just replace the gravel? what is cheap substrate i can use instead?

are the plants i put in likely going to die?

some wendtii, an amazon sword, and Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis) -. Anacharis - Ludwigia ovalis -
 
I have pea gravel from home depot in my native tank right now and it doesn't increase my pH. Have you let water from your tap sit in a bucket overnight to make sure it's not increasing on its own? Tap water often tests different after it sits than when it comes out of the tap.
 
Pea gravel shouldn't have any affect on pH.

As an experiment, put some tap water in a clean bucket and try measuring its pH before and after letting it sit for a few days. Excessive carbon dioxide in the water, from the water being under pressure in pipes, can lower the pH. Once the tap water is 'free', it loses the CO2 and the pH rises. This may be the case with your water.
 
Here in Washington, the tap comes out at 7.3 and drops (degases) to 6.4 in an aerated bucket overnight. I bought the pea gravel from Lowe's and it buffered my water up to around 7.8 for a few months. But once all the dissolved minerals were removed through frequent water changes, the gravel lost its power to buffer and is now a pH-neutral aspect of the tank. So I'm back to having to add crushed coral again. Plants did really well in there, however, and still do.
 
ill check the ph of the sitting water i have dechlorinating when i get home

also if i just have pea gravel substrate, do you think i need fertalizers? If so, where do i get them(for cheap), how much are they and how do i put them in?
 
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yes
walmart/home depot/garden sections
~$5-$10 (osmocote+)
put some in ice cube tray... put enough water over top of it to freeze... freeze it... shove it in the substrate next to a plant
 
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