Cycling a new tank

Hello All,

I am in the process of cycling a new 300l tank. I mixed the Langa aqua soil with Daro substrate and other substrate from the pet shop. I used tap water to fill the tank. The appropriate dose of seachem de-chlorinator was also added as well as stability.

I measured the water pH and noticed this was ~6.4 where as the tap water was 7.4. What would cause this ? I have a feeling that the DARO "inert substrate" is actually blasting media from Ardendorf (Mac Africa Brand). Could this have caused the pH to drop ?

My concern lies with the fact that a low pH might delay the cycle in the tank.

I also seeded the tank with gravel from a mature tank and rinsed out a spronge filter from the same tank into the new tank.

Usually within 24 hours, when cycling a tank, I see the food rotting away - this time I didnt - which led me to believe that the pH might be the culprit.

Kind regards

 

Langa soil will drop your PH. You need to check the KH of your water. KH measures the amount of carbonates and bicarbonates in water, which affects the buffering capacity of the water.

 

Aha , ok, I didnt check the kH and gH yesterday , thanks AMAKWA, I will check that today. Will the lower pH affect the cycle kick off ?

 

Nope, the cycling process isnt tied to the PH of the water. You seeded with gravel from an established tank and added stability. Just be sure to give the bacteria a food source and continue to monitor your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.

 

Not strictly speaking true- https://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/threads/bacteria-in-the-freshwater-aquarium.74891/