Lowering alkalinity?

[Aussie_hippie_2]

How do you do this. I think it's fairly urgent... Also does anyone else have a "Jungle Quick Dip 5" tester? It just gives the recommended range, not what is too high and too low.

[dorkfish]

Absoluetely no need to. Your fish will do much better in stable water which isn't "perfect" then they will if they are in water which is constantly changing (which is the likely situation if you start messing with PH/alk/calcium).

[Rbishop]

Yes, the test kit you have isn't any good.

Go get a master AP liquid test kit for ammomia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, GH, KH.

Post your readings here. Also do the test on your tap water that you use for water changes.

When in doubt, do water change and increase aeration.

[NinjaPirate]

Mmm, never had the need to mess with alkalinity in a freshwater setup. My tap water maintains a natural PH of almost 8.4 with extremely high alkalinity reading, and it has never bothered any of my fish in the least. Over messing with your water chemistry will probably be more harmful to your fish than just leaving it be.

[plah831]

I think it's fairly urgent...
Why do you think it's urgent to lower alkalinity?

As everyone has said, specific alkalinity and pH readings are not nearly as important to fish as constant conditions and clean water. I keep acidic soft water species like dojo loaches and glass catfish at pH 8.0 and general hardness 245 ppm (so pretty alkaline and hard water) and they are thriving!

[Aussie_hippie_2]

well... my ph is around 8.4 and my alkalinity is around 300. If these numbers are correct I think my fish are in danger.


P.S would pink gills be a sign of anything that you know of?

[plah831]

pink or red gills, to me, are more like signs of ammonia or nitrite. That or possibly gill parasites. What are you ammonia/nitrite readings? How long has the tank been set up? Are the fish exhibiting other signs of stress such as loss of color, hanging motionless, not eating?

[echoofformless]

Redness or pinkness around the gills is either irritation from ammonia/nitrite, or it's actually just normal. I would have to see it to tell the difference.

Why are they naturally reddish? Because that is where the fish is taking in oxygen.



Now as far as lowering the alkalinity of the tank, the only good safe natural way to do it is light peat filtration. I only use it in my tanks when I want the blackwater effect.

[liv2padl]

as far as lowering the alkalinity of the tank, the only good safe natural way to do it is light peat filtration. actually this is not true. while peat filtration works fine in many situations, there are quite a number of "peat" species out there and they all have a different effect on your water chemistry. some will work, others will not. some will work a 'little' some will work much more significantly. it depends on the source of the peat.

while i'm not recommending that one mess with water chemistry, if you feel you must, then reverse osmosis water mixed with your tap water to the level of 'soft' that you're looking for is far and away the most consistent means to do so.

that said, i'd recommend against it unless you're keeping fish that are wild caught in aquatic systems such as the amazon where the water is virtually mineral free and quite acidic, or you're trying to breed a specific species of fish which will only succeed in such water.

all water supplies whether municipal or well contain some concentration of calcium and magnesium (among other cations) which exist as salts of carbonates. hard water has more of these salts than soft water. these carbonates in solution exhibit a phenomona known as "buffering". when an acid is introduced to a water sample containing carbonates, the carbonates react with the acid and neutralize it, releasing carbon dioxide and a small amount of heat. the CO2 is exhausted at the water surface and the net result is no change in your pH. at some point, the carbonate buffer will become exhausted ... at which time, even a small concentration of acid will rapidly drop the pH of your water and kill your fish. simply put, carbonates stabilize the pH as long as they are present in sufficient amounts. when the carbonates become depleted, the pH of your water will plummet rapidly with the introduction of even a small amount of acid, killing fish, plants, and your biofilter.

most of the common fish in the hobby today are tank raised on fish farms in florida or asia. others may come from private breeders or are imported. in other words, few fish today are wild caught which means that they have become adapted to water chemistry which is outside what might be otherwise considered "normal" for a given species. thus they can be acclimated to a wide range of water chemistry ... including that which comes right out of your tap. there are certain species which will not do well in chemistry outside of their native habitat and if you're going to keep these, then you do need to play chemist. certain species of Apistogramma are an example.