My water is too acidic so have bought ph buffer powder (proper ph 7.0) that will return it to neutral ph. It says on label that as it is a phosphate buffer it should not be used with live aquarium plants-does this mean my plants are going to be affected if i put this buffer in? It's definitely for use in freshwater aquariums....
Ph Buffer
- Thread starter howiehok
- Start date
As a rule, comercial buffers aren't worth their weight in the problems they cause. Used properly with dilligence and an understanding of concentrations and dilutions, they can work, but so can baking soda and crushed coral or aragonite, and without adding PO4 to your tank.
What they mean is that PO4, being a non-carbonate buffer, will boost KH (about 0.5ppm KH for every 1ppm of PO4, if I recall correctly). However, plants use PO4 as a nutrient, and algae are also plants. Yeah, I know, redundant statement. Anyway, what they're saying is that using their product in a tank set up for plant growth will throw your nutrient balance out of whack and possibly cause an algae bloom.
Yes, it is for freshwater tank, although, IMO, these buffers shouldn't be used in any tanks. You say that your water is too acidic, what is your pH? What's your KH? It's very likely that there's nothing wrong with your water except that your lfs thinks it should be different, or some uninformed website or book told you it should be. On the other hand, it is possible to have very acidic water, I know one guy around here who gets pH 5 from his tap.
What they mean is that PO4, being a non-carbonate buffer, will boost KH (about 0.5ppm KH for every 1ppm of PO4, if I recall correctly). However, plants use PO4 as a nutrient, and algae are also plants. Yeah, I know, redundant statement. Anyway, what they're saying is that using their product in a tank set up for plant growth will throw your nutrient balance out of whack and possibly cause an algae bloom.
Yes, it is for freshwater tank, although, IMO, these buffers shouldn't be used in any tanks. You say that your water is too acidic, what is your pH? What's your KH? It's very likely that there's nothing wrong with your water except that your lfs thinks it should be different, or some uninformed website or book told you it should be. On the other hand, it is possible to have very acidic water, I know one guy around here who gets pH 5 from his tap.
ph reply
my ph is around 5-5.5-same reading when i test it out of tap. I can't really leave it at such an acidic level as I am worried about effect it will have on fish, so do you have any suggestions as to how I can raise ph without using this buffer?
my ph is around 5-5.5-same reading when i test it out of tap. I can't really leave it at such an acidic level as I am worried about effect it will have on fish, so do you have any suggestions as to how I can raise ph without using this buffer?
You need to know the KH of your water. KH controls the pH. Never do water mods with the required tests - that would be shooting in the dark.
Man, you should sell off your current stock and get some exotic apistogramma. I wish I had ph 5.5 out of the tap.
Like RTR sais, what's your KH?
Once you know that, you can work from there, but otherwise it's too much guess and check, which just results in a lot of bouncing about. Also, what's the pH of the water after it's sat in a shallow bowl overnight?
Once you know that, you can work from there, but otherwise it's too much guess and check, which just results in a lot of bouncing about. Also, what's the pH of the water after it's sat in a shallow bowl overnight?
This product may work for you...
Good morning,
I had the exact same issue as you and switched to using this product as my water conditioner:
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/neytralRegulator.html
It takes out Chorine, Chloramine, and Ammonia like you want a conditioner to do, and also does a very good job of setting and keeping the PH at 7.0. It does so gradually when you first stsrt using it. I added some to my original tank water in addition to my replacement water for a few weeks' worth of changes, then went down to just using it as a conditioner for new water. Mine was testing at 6.4 and went up to 6.6 the first week, 6.8 for the next few weeks, and has been maintaining at 7.0 since. What is great is that there is not a lot of fluctuation like you are usually warned will happen with chemicals, it tests at 7.0 right after each water change, and is still at 7.0 right before the next water change, or at least it has been that way for the past month.
Though the product description says it softens water, the water hardness reading in the same test kit has stayed the same before and after the use of this product. Perhaps my water was already as soft as this product would make it. The PH Buffer reading in the kit has risen and then stayed steady along with the PH.
They have an FAQ on the site as well. Based on some info there, it looks to me as though based on other water conditions it might not work as well for everyone, but it has been a wonderful product for me. Though it does add phosphates, I have not seen any algae spikes since I got my Nitrates down to 5ppm.
Good morning,
I had the exact same issue as you and switched to using this product as my water conditioner:
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/neytralRegulator.html
It takes out Chorine, Chloramine, and Ammonia like you want a conditioner to do, and also does a very good job of setting and keeping the PH at 7.0. It does so gradually when you first stsrt using it. I added some to my original tank water in addition to my replacement water for a few weeks' worth of changes, then went down to just using it as a conditioner for new water. Mine was testing at 6.4 and went up to 6.6 the first week, 6.8 for the next few weeks, and has been maintaining at 7.0 since. What is great is that there is not a lot of fluctuation like you are usually warned will happen with chemicals, it tests at 7.0 right after each water change, and is still at 7.0 right before the next water change, or at least it has been that way for the past month.
Though the product description says it softens water, the water hardness reading in the same test kit has stayed the same before and after the use of this product. Perhaps my water was already as soft as this product would make it. The PH Buffer reading in the kit has risen and then stayed steady along with the PH.
They have an FAQ on the site as well. Based on some info there, it looks to me as though based on other water conditions it might not work as well for everyone, but it has been a wonderful product for me. Though it does add phosphates, I have not seen any algae spikes since I got my Nitrates down to 5ppm.
ph stats
Good evening!
Thanks for advice, but am struggling to find that product over here in England.
Have just tested kh and it seems too low-is about 2 dH. Ammonia also too high at 0.25, but i have added ammo lock last week, so if that has worked i think it doesn't show on readings....
Fish look fine at moment, but am obviously worried as that can quickly change, so advice on where ot go from here would be greatly appreciated...
Have left some tap water out as well to settle so should know tomorrow if this leads to different readings...
Good evening!
Thanks for advice, but am struggling to find that product over here in England.
Have just tested kh and it seems too low-is about 2 dH. Ammonia also too high at 0.25, but i have added ammo lock last week, so if that has worked i think it doesn't show on readings....
Fish look fine at moment, but am obviously worried as that can quickly change, so advice on where ot go from here would be greatly appreciated...
Have left some tap water out as well to settle so should know tomorrow if this leads to different readings...
Hold off on it for a bit. Once we get the results of your overnight pH we can probably suggest something much more stable/long term as well as less expensive. But I want to know what your CO2 equilibrated pH is first. Also, I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with units of dH (they're a European thing, I think), could you possibly convert that to ppm? I don't have any benchmark values for dH, so unfortunately 2dH doesn't tell me much. Sounds low 