View Full Version : Need Help Lowering PH.
GT3050
06-01-2003, 12:42 PM
I bought a 90 gallon used last week and it has a few african cichlids in it that the guy I bought it from through in. I want to put American cichlids in it, and because of this, I need to lower my PH. Right now it is 7.6-7.8, and I believe it needs to be lowered to about 6.8-7.2. Any sugestions on how I should do this, or products that I'll need? Also I am going to be doing my first water change today and was wondering if this might lower my PH. Thanks.
optix
06-01-2003, 12:59 PM
You really don't have to lower your ph, as long as its stable you are fine. Almost all SA/CA cichlids fair well in those ph conditions especially CA which that is perfect for them. My ph is 8.2 and my fish flourish. A water change may lower your ph but depending on your Kh it will rise right back up to where it was in the first place. If you are really wanting to lower your ph you should find out what your Kh is and do what is necessary to lower it since that is what makes ph stable. Such as adding driftwood would have the lowering effect to both ph and kh
dave76
06-01-2003, 1:07 PM
I thought at a ph of 8.0 and about american cichlids were susseptable to hole in the head disease, is this not correct?
hmm lol no not quite, the only cichlid thats actually "susceptible" to hth is the oscar which comes from malnourishment most commonly but there are other ways for the fish to become prone to the disease Ph not being one of them
Yes, I agree with optix. Your ph is fine. HITH can also come from poor water quality and infrequent water changes as these fish are very sensitive to nitrate etc. Many fish can get HITH but it is very common in oscars.
wetmanNY
06-01-2003, 7:25 PM
GT3050, you'll need to run a KH (carbonate hardness) or alkalinity test before you can begin to think about reducing your pH.
You should look at modern enclosed filtered rainbarrels. (Something we should all know about, in effect.) You'll find them at your "Home-Depot" type outlet, I figure.
zmaj101
06-02-2003, 3:45 AM
Up here in Utah, we have very hard, high pH mountain water. My water is about 8.4 out of the tap. I have had no troubles keeping any kind of fish in it. I've had a few tanks, and kept about 15 different species of fish through the years, any my experience is that if you can't have an ideal pH, you'll do fine with a consistent pH. Granted, I haven't been able to breed most fish that like softer, more acidic environments, they have lived and been happy for years.
Most fish can adjust to less than ideal pH and hardness. What they can't adjust to is constant changes to pH and water hardness. My advice is to do the best you can with what you have. Good luck!