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How driftwood affects pH
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2025 10:27 pm
by admiral
I've been noticing my tank's pH dropping since adding driftwood. It's a 20-gallon with a sponge filter, and I do weekly water changes. Anyone else experienced this?
Re: How driftwood affects pH
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2025 10:54 pm
by robinleaf
Yep, driftwood can definitely mess with pH. It releases tannins, which lower it over time. My 10-gallon dropped from 7.2 to 6.8 in a month. What's your current pH?
Re: How driftwood affects pH
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2025 11:32 pm
by dartonix
Driftwood releases organic acids like humic and fulvic acids, which lower pH. The effect depends on your water's buffering capacity. If you have soft water, the drop will be more pronounced. Test your KH to see how stable your pH is.
Re: How driftwood affects pH
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2025 12:04 am
by fluxeon8
My tank's pH went down too, but it's chill. I got some crushed coral in the filter to balance it out. Works like a charm, dude.
Re: How driftwood affects pH
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2025 12:17 am
by speedster
Yo, same thing happened to me. My Betta was acting sketchy, so I checked the pH and it was way low. Gonna try adding some baking soda next water change.
Re: How driftwood affects pH
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2025 12:50 am
by justonix
dartonix wrote: ↑Tue Aug 05, 2025 11:32 pm
Driftwood releases organic acids like humic and fulvic acids, which lower pH. The effect depends on your water's buffering capacity. If you have soft water, the drop will be more pronounced. Test your KH to see how stable your pH is.
That's solid advice. I'd also recommend monitoring your fish for stress. Some species don't handle pH swings well.
Re: How driftwood affects pH
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2025 1:49 am
by admiral
Thanks for the tips, everyone. My pH is at 6.5 now, down from 7.0. I'll test the KH and maybe add some crushed coral.
Re: How driftwood affects pH
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2025 2:43 am
by robinleaf
Good call. Just go slow with adjustments. Rapid pH changes can be worse than a stable low pH. My Neon Tetras adapted fine after a few weeks.
Re: How driftwood affects pH
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2025 3:25 am
by dartonix
If you're using tap water, check its KH and pH straight from the tap. That'll give you a baseline. Also, boiling the driftwood beforehand can reduce the tannin release.
Re: How driftwood affects pH
Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2025 3:59 am
by fluxeon8
Boiling's a pain, but it works. I just let mine soak in a bucket for a week. Less hassle, same result.