Too many water changes?

[LanaK]

Opinion question for you all. Is there such a thing as too many water changes?

 I've been battling some low pH issues and one of the ways to reverse that is to do water changes, however I am wondering if there such a thing as too many water changes? I do a 25 to 30% water change every week vacuuming gravel every other week however my pH still is rather low and I want to raise it up.

Would I be safe doing water changes twice a week for a few weeks or without huting the bacterial colonies too much? These are all established tanks, from 20 to 55 gallons. My tap water is a bit basic, so I don't think it is lowering my ph.

[Regalblue]

Doing a lot of water changes won't hurt anything.  But, when you stop doing them & go back to your regular schedule,  you will see a spike in ammonia &/or nitrite.

So, I'd suggest to stay on the 2x a week or monitor closely when you stop & treat accordingly.

[Mission Man]

2x

We do water changes twice weekly.

[Ron]

Too many water changes could exist in a few cases:

- If it were a very stressful event for fish which aren't able to cope well with stress.

- If the water you're adding back is very different from the original parameters - large temperature swing, pH swing, etc.

[Regalblue]

Too many water changes could exist in a few cases:

- If it were a very stressful event for fish which aren't able to cope well with stress.

- If the water you're adding back is very different from the original parameters - large temperature swing, pH swing, etc.

Except she's only doing small water changes, 25-30%.   That'd have to be a hell of a parameter difference to make an impact.

[Marty]

What is your ph out of the tap, and what is it in the tank?  What is it in your tank that is causing your ph to drop?

[LanaK]

Since it is happening on multiple tanks, not 100% sure yet, the water changes are my buffer while I try to figure it out. Ph right out of the tap is over 7.5, I'm running it aerated overnight right now to see if it drops a lot. Might be too Mapuche decaying plant matter, might also be the gravel, doing some aeration tests now. Might also be some of the drift wood, I hear oak will drop your ph like crazy. Lots of variables right now.

[Marty]

Would it be possible to add or use crushed coral exclusively as your substrate?  That might counteract the driftwood/plant problem.

[LanaK]

That is part of the long term plans.  I have some cool limestone from up north that seems to be working slowly.  Also going to try some fish that LIKE low PH, since I am blessed with an abundance of it.