Proper Ph
- Thread starter JonTmw
- Start date
hello..
I've been using proper ph for awhile now. since the ph out of my tap is relatively neutral i want it to be higher. on my larger tanks it does a great job of buffering to keep the ph at the same level. no side effects that i have noticed.
I've been using proper ph for awhile now. since the ph out of my tap is relatively neutral i want it to be higher. on my larger tanks it does a great job of buffering to keep the ph at the same level. no side effects that i have noticed.
Proper pH or any chemical to change your pH is NOT GOOD! It might change the pH when you put it in but after it wears off (~30 Min) the pH goes back to what it was before. This change over and over can stress and then kill your fish. There was a trend here a few days ago about a fish dying and it was due to the use of proper pH.
*A stable pH is better than a perfect pH*
There are ways to change the pH with out using chemicals. Like peat to lower it and ocean gravel stuff (not sure exactly what it is) to make the ph higher.
Fish can also live in a different pH than they should normaly be living in, as long as there isent a huge gap.
If you could post the pH of: your tank, and the pH of a glass of tap water after it has been sitting for 24 hours, we can tell you what you need to do.
*A stable pH is better than a perfect pH*
There are ways to change the pH with out using chemicals. Like peat to lower it and ocean gravel stuff (not sure exactly what it is) to make the ph higher.
Fish can also live in a different pH than they should normaly be living in, as long as there isent a huge gap.
If you could post the pH of: your tank, and the pH of a glass of tap water after it has been sitting for 24 hours, we can tell you what you need to do.
I have to disagree, Proper PH is a long term buffer and therefore lasts weeks.Kasakato said:
I was using it in my tank to lower my ph closer to the 7.0 range (the ideal for my fish), but there is a major side effect it can cloud water (BIG TIME) it will bond with high solids water a percipitate the metals out..........
Don't bother with it keep you ph at the range it is...your fish are used to this area and it is easier to maintain.
Weeks isn't long term.acefred said:
Proper pH (4 different products, btw, which don't all work the same) is usually a phosphate buffer (the lower 3, not the 8.2) which will change your pH for a few weeks, after which it'll swing back to the source level less a bit from bioacidification.
Swinging is less desirable than stable. Stable is good.
Proper pH also just masks the issue by adjusting the pH without effecting the underlying TDS issues.
If you want to adjust the longterm pH, KH, GH and have a good reason for doing this there are a number of ways of doing this that aren't measured in weeks. Some of them cost more than others, some are very simple but you want to find one that is stable.
Most fish are fine in most pHs most of the time provided that they're acclimated if they're going from one type of water to another.
What is the pH (GH, KH) of your tank and what sort of fish do you want to keep in there?
hi all,
The ph level directly from my tap is about 8.7, after inject bubbles thru air pump and stock for few hours, ph level drops to 8.2. Currently having problem with my existing tank which is cycling without fish for about 10 days cos the ph level is about 10.5. What i intend to do is to setup the tank right from scratch, changing the water completely and cycle again. I also intend to change my gravel which i think is the prime suspect of the cause of high ph. Currently the gravel i use is of the black colour type purchased from the pet shop, but not sure what material is it.
The filter system i'm having is of bio rings and balls, and according to the manufacturer, they are sure that it will not contribute to high ph.
During cycling, i also injected CO2 to lower down the ph, but does not help.
I intend to rare 50 neon tetra and 50 rummy nose tetra in my new 36"x18"x18" tank, so hopefully i can get the correct ph level if i setup the tank from scratch again, that the reason why i stock the 50gallon of water overnight and changing the gravel to get the desire ph level. As for the reason why i am asking about proper ph, this is my last resort if i still couldn't get my desire ph level............
Any other recommendation??? Anyway i also try to use peat moss (500mg), still high ph of 10.5....Used ph minus (2bottles), drop to 9.7 but overnight, it goes back to where it belongs(10.5). Sign..............
The ph level directly from my tap is about 8.7, after inject bubbles thru air pump and stock for few hours, ph level drops to 8.2. Currently having problem with my existing tank which is cycling without fish for about 10 days cos the ph level is about 10.5. What i intend to do is to setup the tank right from scratch, changing the water completely and cycle again. I also intend to change my gravel which i think is the prime suspect of the cause of high ph. Currently the gravel i use is of the black colour type purchased from the pet shop, but not sure what material is it.
The filter system i'm having is of bio rings and balls, and according to the manufacturer, they are sure that it will not contribute to high ph.
During cycling, i also injected CO2 to lower down the ph, but does not help.
I intend to rare 50 neon tetra and 50 rummy nose tetra in my new 36"x18"x18" tank, so hopefully i can get the correct ph level if i setup the tank from scratch again, that the reason why i stock the 50gallon of water overnight and changing the gravel to get the desire ph level. As for the reason why i am asking about proper ph, this is my last resort if i still couldn't get my desire ph level............
Any other recommendation??? Anyway i also try to use peat moss (500mg), still high ph of 10.5....Used ph minus (2bottles), drop to 9.7 but overnight, it goes back to where it belongs(10.5). Sign..............
Using chemical to lower pH almost never works. What happens is that the water's buffering capacity, expressed as KH (which stands for carbonate hardness) must be exhausted more or less before pH can be lowered. Often, this means the carbonates are bound by phosphates (as in Proper pH) or neutralized through the use of acids (e.g., pH Down).
The problems with these approaches are many. Adding phosphates increaseses the TDS (as already mentioned) and actually makes the water less hospitable for soft water fish. Also, the phosphates make great food for algae and massive green water outbreaks are common.
Using acids may work, but by the time the carbonates are burned up in this method, the water has very little buffering capacity to resist further changes in pH. (Before the buffer is completely burned up, you see an immediate decrease in pH, while the acid additive is free, then a ph bounce as the acid interacts with the carbonates and is used up. If you treat with acid long enough, the bounce is eventually eliminated, because the buffer is gone.) A little more acid can cause pH to plummet, a bit more carbonate (like when you add fresh water or do a water change) replenishes the buffer and pH will shoot up. Both of these are bad for the fish.
Using reverse osmosis water is probably the best solution, although the upfront investment can be a bit pricey.
HTH,
Jim
The problems with these approaches are many. Adding phosphates increaseses the TDS (as already mentioned) and actually makes the water less hospitable for soft water fish. Also, the phosphates make great food for algae and massive green water outbreaks are common.
Using acids may work, but by the time the carbonates are burned up in this method, the water has very little buffering capacity to resist further changes in pH. (Before the buffer is completely burned up, you see an immediate decrease in pH, while the acid additive is free, then a ph bounce as the acid interacts with the carbonates and is used up. If you treat with acid long enough, the bounce is eventually eliminated, because the buffer is gone.) A little more acid can cause pH to plummet, a bit more carbonate (like when you add fresh water or do a water change) replenishes the buffer and pH will shoot up. Both of these are bad for the fish.
Using reverse osmosis water is probably the best solution, although the upfront investment can be a bit pricey.
HTH,
Jim
