Driftwood lowers pH in the aquarium

We put two pieces of driftwood that lowered the water pH a lot. The tap water here has a very high pH, over our pH tester range. Days ago I put a piece of wood in a bucket for 24 hours and I tested the pH, it was again over the scale, but this time in the low range. So I thought that it would stabilize the pH in the aquarium tank. We use a Seachem constant pH tester and last night it was at 6.5 and this morning it was marking the lowest. I believe the pH is even lowest out of the tester scale.

Tannic acid contained in the wood lowers the pH and softens the water and, even with the proper preparation, it could take months before the driftwood releases most of its tannins.

We put four platies there and 6 otocinclus. This evening at 3:00pm I saw a platy scratching against the java fern leaves.

Sadly we had to leave for work, so I made an ultra fast googling and I found that it would be normal for platies to scratch, but no more than one time in a minute. This was doing it a lot and the only thing I can think is the water pH. They are coming from a tank with a very high pH and I wouldn’t be surprised if they get stressed now.

Tomorrow I will change half of the water, and I will do that very often, and keep looking at the pH.

@ Chas: Thank you for your comments. Those echinodorus tenellus look very nice, I never have seen those here in the stores. The anubias are pretty. I think I have seen something like that here but I didn’t know they were really for underwater. It is easy sometimes to get plants that are not really for aquariums. Looking for anubia in google I see that white flower. My mom had a plant with a flower just like that, that has a very strong smell. Maybe it is the same. I didn’t know it can grow underwater. I will have to visit my mom now, lol.

About the loaches, oh! I would bet my pinky finger that the loaches are making salad in your tank. The java fern is bitter, that’s why they may not like it. The onion looking plant I have seen it but I don’t remember the name either, but it looks hardy.

Do you know that the loaches develop some knives on the sides of their head as they grow up? Look at this post please: Clown Loach eating the plants

We had a loach one time but we swapped it for other fish, it is difficult to keep it along with plants.

That floating plant is pretty. Michelle liked it a lot. The one we have floating looks very messy, maybe we should plant it and wait until it grows a little more.

I hope you can do something about the plants, if it is not the loach, Let us know please.