Before performing the water change, I took a couple of pictures. Here's one picture of what the tank looked like beforehand:
Notice the almost complete lack of algae - I'm guessing that the combination of plant usage of nutrients and the snails in the tank have virtually wiped out the algae.
I removed 3.75 gallons of tank water and added back in almost 4.0 gallons. The following two tables show the test results of the water:
| Test | Results |
| NH3 (ammonia) | 0 mg/L |
| NO2 (nitrite) | 0 mg/L |
| NO3 (nitrate) | 0 mg/L |
| CA (calcium) | 3 drops = 3*20 = 60 mg/L |
| PO4 (phosphate) | 0 mg/L |
| FE #1 (toxic iron) | 0 mg/L |
| FE #2 (chelated iron) | 0.10 mg/L |
| GH (general hardness) | 9 drops = 9*20 = 180 ppm = 10.08 dH |
| KH (carbonate hardness) | 4 drops = 4*10 = 40 ppm = 2.24 dCH |
| pH (low test) | 7.0 pH |
As you can see, the pH is lowered and the carbonate hardness is almost eliminated. I am a little concerned about that general hardness though and I might need to cut back on the amount of SeaChem Equilibrium being added.
| Test | Results |
| NH3 (ammonia) | 0 mg/L |
| NO2 (nitrite) | 0 mg/L |
| NO3 (nitrate) | 5-10 mg/L |
| CA (calcium) | 3 drops = 3*20 = 60 mg/L |
| PO4 (phosphate) | 0 mg/L |
| FE #1 (toxic iron) | 0 mg/L |
| FE #2 (chelated iron) | 0 mg/L |
| GH (general hardness) | 7 drops = 7*20 = 140 ppm = 7.84 dH |
| KH (carbonate hardness) | 8 drops = 8*10 = 80 ppm = 4.48 dCH |
| pH (high test) | 7.6 pH |
Wow! Finally, it looks as if the pH is starting to come under control. I'm thinking that with the addition of a CO2 injector, I won't have to use SeaChem Acid Buffer to lower my carbonate hardness, and my pH should stay much more stable
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