[Elation]

My chem lvls are as follows in my heavily planted 10 g tank:

PH: 8.0
GH: 13
KH: 9
the rest are irrelevant in this case. I am using a potting soil with no additives larger corse gravel and a white sand on the top as a substrate.
I am not using co2 injection at this time but sometimes i will and it seems to have no affect on the ph. I also have tried to using partial water changes using distilled water but little affect on the parameters. The plants that i have do well. Chems that are supposed to lower ph have a negative affect on the aqaurium. As it stands there certain fish and plants that i cannot keep and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions

 

[plantbrain]

When you take your measurement is important. pH wil change with time of day in a non CO2 tank just like it does in shallow lakes full of plants.
These lakjes vary from pH's of 5-6 to 8-10, some moving 4 units from 6 am to 4 pm. Tide pools change 2 full units in 4-6 hours.

You have non CO2 tanks, get use to it.
If you believe this makes a difference(the pH and your fish), then you can try CO2 methods. I personally have never seen evidence to suggest it does make a difference(pH by it self due to plant removal of CO2). Fish live where there are large changes.
Most substrates will buffer to neutral.

If you have the substrate set up like this and plan on non CO2, then leave it alone, do not do water changes. Add water for evaporation only.
Add some E najas etc some bicarb user and they will remove the GH/KH for you through biomass clippings.

So over time your GH/KH will drop way down.

You just feed a balanced fish load well daily and leave the tank alone.

Rather a pH, the hardness and O2 levels are more important for fish. pH byself alone has little meaning. See other thread about a KH of zero in Fertilization.

Regards,
Tom Barr