questions on pH

marl_nyc

marl_nyc

AC Members
Jul 8, 2008
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Queens, NY
Hello again... would like to hear your opinions on the diffferent ways (and the most effective way) you can lower the pH value in your aquarium.

I have a 55 gal planted tank with a small bioload that I am setting up to put in discus. As of Monday before I did a WC my water params where:
ph 7
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
dKH 0
Iron .2
C02 10
GH 3
and water temp was at 82.5

Today i checked my pH and it is at 6.8

3 weeks ago I added peat nuggets to my cannister filter and I have seen a gradual decline in the ph value from 7.4 to 6.8 in almost 3 weeks of having the peat nuggets.

Now to get to my question...
The desired pH i want to acheive is between 6.2 and 6.4
Should I just stick with the peat nuggets and do partial WC every week and hopefully see the pH drop to that level or...
Should I combine it with the other products that I have seen in the LFS
ie. Blackwater extract, ph reducer, discus buffer etc.

Will adding any of these products contribute to the lowering of my pH or will they do more harm than good to my existing set up of live plants and fish/shrimp?

Thanks for reading this and any input will be greatly appreciated.
 
I don't think Blackwater extract will lower your pH, but I think it's still a good product/vitamins for sensitive fish like neons and discus. (That's just my opinion though.)

What if you add a few more peat nuggets... or what about natural cured driftwood?

(I've noticed Petco now sells ready-for-tanks driftwood that's in their aquariums, presoaked/not off the shelf. Which makes using driftwood tons easier than washing/rinsing/leaving in a bucket for months. And even then, my one driftwood turned my tank water red...)
 
jameshilljr said:
How long has your tank been cycled? Having your nitrates at 0 might be signs that it hasn't cycled properly...
Click to expand...

Possibly, but it's a large tank, with a smaller sized bioload, and it's planted, so it's possible the plants are taking in the nitrates...

To the original poster, assuming you have already cycled the tank and the current residents are fairing well, if you're planning on adding fish with a currently small bioload, you might want to start overfeeding gradually so that your bioload will grow to accommodate the new fish.

(I know people freak out about overfeeding - and if your tank is fully stocked, it's a no-no. But there's only two ways to grow the colony because it's only as large as the food/waste produced - either by putting the fish in and doing water changes if required, or by gradually increasing the feeding / adding crushed food, until you're feeding the amount you would if the fish are in there for a few weeks.)

Anyway, it's something to think about. Probably in a planted 55g you wouldn't see much of a problem - guess it depends on how small the current bioload is...
 
With a KH of zero, pH could plummet. You need to get that back up to at least 3 degrees, especially if you're mucking around with peat. This is a pH crash waiting to happen.

You do not need to lower the pH. GH is about a thousand times more important and yours is fine for discus. You can breed these things at pH 8 if the water's soft enough.
 
:iagree:

I'd be concerned with the kh too
 
Are you using city tap water or another source?Ph?Co2 will drop the ph.Dkh zero?If so no reason to change it.7.4 is not a problem for Discus if it is constant.People keep Discus 8.0 or higher ph.
 
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