Rust in aquarium

Question
Thanks, Nori,

I'm quite familiar with Cycle--use it all the time. ;)

Would you recommend another water change soon if the ph stays elevated, or would it be better to keep trying to lower it with a buffer?

Do you know if rust itself is a contaminate, or does it simply cause concern because it elevates the ph?  

I have a 30 gallon tank.

Thanks again,

Gisele L.
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Followup To

Question -
Dear Nori,

I am not a novice at keeping fish, but I'm afraid I'm faced with a problem I've never encountered before. I bought plants (specifically for aquariums) and noticed tonight when I removed them to clean them, that there seemed to be rust deposits on the ends of the bottom stems--ACK!

The bottom of the stems are flexible which means there are metal rods inside! I am NOT impressed.

I've been having problems with my ph and I'm quite sure that this is what has been causing it. I've been losing fish as well.

I did a 20% water change tonight, but don't want to overstress the fish...what else can I do? Should I change more water and keep adding a buffer to lower the ph? And if so, how often?

Thank you for any help you can send my way.

Sincerely,

Gisele L.

Answer -
Hi Gisele,
Thank you for your letter. My advice is to use the product "Cycle" to add friendly bacteria to the new water you have to add. For a full description, see my page on holistic aquarium care:
http://steamboats.com/aquarium.html
Losing fish could also come from over feeding, a build up over time.
Nori

Answer
Hi Gisele,
As long as you keep the temperature steady and use Cycle, you can change the water all you want. That is my understanding.
How much rust did you have? A tiny amount couldn't be that harmful. However, I found this in a quick search of the Internet:
>>Hydrogen ions are being consumed by the process [of rusting]. As the iron corrodes, the pH in the droplet rises. >>
Nori