View Full Version : Lowering PH
elgecko
09-19-2003, 6:56 PM
I tried to do a search, but was not able because ph is under the minimum word count. Anyway...
What are some ways to lower ph?
My tank has been set up for 5 years. My water is 7.6 and would like to get it around 7.2. My tap water is 7.6. When I found this out a long time ago, I used ph down in my tank over time and got it to 7.2. I also figured how much to place in the water I use for water changes to get it to 7.2. The water always rises in my tank back to 7.6. What are some thing I can do to keep it 7.2?
Matt W
09-19-2003, 7:03 PM
Don't do anything. Your tank has been running for 5 years at 7.6. Why change? Nothing is wrong with 7.6.
Why do you want to lower your PH?
elgecko
09-19-2003, 10:46 PM
I just bought 2 new fish 2 days ago. 1 of them died. I float my fish when I buy them, adding water, but sometimes I think that the fish suffer for ph shock anyway. The fish stores water is 7.0. This happens to me sometimes when I buy new fish.
Should I float the fish for a complete day to help with the ph difference?
If your water is radically different from that of the LFS, you just need to do a more gentle acclimitization/adaptation of the fish to your water. For details scan throught the article below, I think a bit over halfway down the page:
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/isolation.shtml
But I get uneasy when folk talk about death of new fish in old tanks. That is the number one symptom of "Old Tank Syndrome", but that is generally associated with low pH. What are your tank and tap (not fresh, aged or aerated) readings for nitrate, GH, KH?
well if your set on lowering ph id say the easiest way without really going to town on your water chem id say rig up a co2 system. it takes a bit to get the co2 set right so your ph doesnt drop to low but once you get it figured out your set. and once youve got a decent co2 level you can drop some plants in the tank which will only add to the allure of the tank as a whole.
i use a home brew co2 tank that i rigged with some tubing and a air stone right in to my HOB filter. i do a bout one bubble per second and that brings my ph level down to 6.8- 7.0 from the tap which is at 7.8.
alot of people say to use a reactor and the "straight into the HOB" is inneficiant but i dunno i do 1 bub per sec and get about 15-17 ppm co2, my new lotus doubled size in about a week and a half and i have to trim my hornworts weekly. how fast do you want the things to grow anyways?
elgecko
09-20-2003, 8:39 AM
It's been a while since I've check my nitrates, but as usual it does not even change color to read the chart. As for GH, KH I do not have test kits so I do not know.
I also have a C02 system on my tank.
I change 25% of the water every other week. Clean my canister once a month, and gravel vac at each water change.
Am I gravel vacing to much?
Pictures of my tank
http://www.geocities.com/elgecko1989/community.html
I'm not being nasty, but if you do not know the GH and KH of you tank and tap, or the aged tap PH, you do not have enough information to even consider water modification.
id have to agree with what rtr said there. try to learn what the ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, gh, and kh are before messing with the ph. it sounds like youve had a pretty stable setup for awhile so it could be another factor than ph which did the new additions in.