I'm looking to lower my PH to acidic because I'm thinking of getting fish that aren't tank raised like a royal pleco (75g). My city tap water has a ph of 8.8 and dGH of 9 also very high in nitrates. I've tried cutting the tap water with RO water to get a dGH of 5 but the ph stays at 8.8 (the same after a day). The ph in the RO water from the grocery store is around +8 (tested with couple of different ph test kits) is that high for RO which I don't get because the dGH is 1. I don't really want to use peat to lower the ph. Any opinions would be appreciated.
Lowering PH
- Thread starter wabic
- Start date
Whats your kh? Kh is what will affect your ph the most. You say that you buy RO water, I didn't know you could buy it. Thats sounds high for RO water. I use my own RO machine and the water is about 6.2 ph when made up. If you dont want to use peat then the other way to go is RO water, but if the bought stuff has a ph of 8+ I would consider buying a machine for yourself(Keep in mind taht they can be expensive and they waste a lot water).
Slate should not affect the water chemistry, it is inert also.
It sounds as though the utility is pH shocking the water to bring the KH so low with a high pH. Can you check for phosphates? Or check with the utility?
It sounds as though the utility is pH shocking the water to bring the KH so low with a high pH. Can you check for phosphates? Or check with the utility?
So they are adding phosphates to buffer the water up and protect the pipes. That normally fades after a few days.
What is the nitrate titer?
What is the nitrate titer?
Thats pretty high for city around here the max being 10ppm for tap water. A company called CMT tested are water and told us it was high. I know the nitrates won't matter that much since the max for fish are around 20ppm. I'm just worried about getting the PH down. Is a PH of +8 high for RO water? I'm thinking about getting some from a LFS to test in a RO/Tap mix.