Ph level for apistos?

Aug 3, 2007
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Indiana
My ph from my tap is 8.2 i have a lot of drift wood in my tank and a fluorite substrate for live plants. Is there anyway i can lower the ph with anything else? I know apistos like soft water so i was wondering.
 
Let a bowl of water sit out for about 24 hours, then retest your PH, it should be less, closer to the true ph..........:)
 
You could try adding a nylon stocking with peat moss, that will help somewhat. Some apistos might be ok in that pH, but really, not too many...

Cathy
PS You could also mix RO water in with your tap to soften your water and lower pH. This is the best way to soften water...
 
You could try adding a nylon stocking with peat moss, that will help somewhat. Some apistos might be ok in that pH, but really, not too many...

Cathy
PS You could also mix RO water in with your tap to soften your water and lower pH. This is the best way to soften water...
i have reverse osmosis water should i add like a gallon of it i have a 20 gallon tank
 
You need to decide how far you want to go. If you figure the RO as zero solids which is close enough then think about the result of blending different ratios to get the hardness you want. I use 50/50 RO but it did not get that way over night. Each partial water change I used the new ratio but I only do small PWCs. It took weeks to get to the new value where I can do any partial change I want by just knowing the ratio. At that time the water in my tank basically matched what I was putting in as far as TDS. Until then, every change is a change in chemistry for the fish and plants so take it slowly. If you do it all at once you will likely get to restock your tank.
RO is nice between changes when you just want to add some water because all you are basically adding is water.
 
you can also inject C02 to the tank...it will only help a bit though.

that said, a stable pH is one that fluctuates down to the "desired" area and then goes back up above it. if you can get it down to low-mid 7's, then that should help.

what is the pH of your tank water?
 
you can also inject C02 to the tank...it will only help a bit though.

that said, a stable pH is one that fluctuates down to the "desired" area and then goes back up above it. if you can get it down to low-mid 7's, then that should help.

what is the pH of your tank water?
the ph of my tank water is 7.8. I just want to get the ph to about 7.4 or 7.2. I am not sure if i will be able to keep apistos and have them breed in the conditions i have now. The ph of my RO water is 6.0
 
If you start blending RO with tap water for pH don't forget that pH is a log function not a linear. I think I would make trial mixes in a jar and measure them the next day for pH. That way I would know where I was trying to go with the blend.
 
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