How do you lower pH?

[Chels10117]

I've had this tank set up for 4 weeks and have been slowly adding fish. I just got the API freshwater master test kit yesterday and tested everything. Before this I was having the pet store test my water for free... But the guy would just be like oh yeah everything's okay this is a little high but no big deal.. Uhm thanks that helps (not). I figured I'd save myself trips to the pet store as I am embarrassingly becoming a regular while setting up my tank and buying all of my fish an supplies, and the workers know me buy name and I know them lol.

Anyways... Ammonia was hard to tell. Although I think it was at .25, nitrite was at 0, and nitrate was at 5.0. I figured the BB just have not broken down the ammonia yet but idk.

About the pH, it is at 8.2!!! Waaaay to high for my fish. I'm so glad I bought this test kit. How can I lower my pH? I'd rather have it be around 7.6... I have some pH down that I had from my old fish tank... But that was when I was inexperienced and I have gained a lot of knowledge since then. I'd rather take natural methods first and then resort to chemical.

I looked up some ways. But I do not want live plants!! And I don't want to have to buy more things!! I've probably already spent $200 on this whole thing, tank, fish, decor, supplies, and all... So I'm low on funds until I get more money lol.

What can I do where I don't have to purchase more supplies. I have an air stone, but I turn it off at night. I wouldn't mind buying one of those little algae balls either but that's as far as im going with live plants. I also don't want driftwood... Or peat really... So Chemical is probably my best bet huh?

Anyways help!!

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

You can use ph down or proper ph if you go chemical rout or you can add Indian almond leaves or driftwood(will stain water)


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[PNWaquarist]

Many species of fish will do just fine at pH 8.2. What is your tank stocked with?

 

[enrgizerbunny]

You can use a buffer to keep it at a certain pH, but you penalty don't need to adjust. What are your fish?

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[Chels10117]

I have 10 neon tetras and 6 glofish tetras and one small pleco atm. I'm going to add a blue dwarf gourami as well.

 

[PNWaquarist]

I'd be a lot more worried about wild-caught Neons at that pH. But pretty much all of them are bred in captivity these days.

Water hardness (GH) is a lot more important than pH. From what little I know about Arizona, the water is relatively hard and Neons (and many other South American fish) don't do as well in hard water. If you haven't tested your GH yet, you should. If it's above 200 ppm or so, you might want to consider blending your tap water with reverse-osmosis (RO) water to soften it. Hard water also tends to contain a lot of bicarbonate ion, which will counteract much of what you add to the tank to lower the pH. Or you could stock your tank with fish that are better adapted to hard water.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

I have 10 neon tetras and 6 glofish tetras and one small pleco atm. I'm going to add a blue dwarf gourami as well.

These are hardy fish I wouldn't worry about it. Just change the water as usual and the fish will be fine.

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[biondoa]

Don't mess with the ph. It is worse to keep changing it than to just keep it stable. Adding chemicals is a bad idea. 8.2 is a little high, but not terrible. Most fish will adapt to it, but ask before buying more fish, if they are ok with that ph. There are some that really would not be ok with it.

 

[PNWaquarist]

These are hardy fish I wouldn't worry about it.

Neons used to be hardy fish, before they were mass-bred and, consequently, inbred. These days, I'd be more inclined to go with wild-caught Green Neons.



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[coralbandit]

Don't mess with the ph. It is worse to keep changing it than to just keep it stable. Adding chemicals is a bad idea. 8.2 is a little high, but not terrible. Most fish will adapt to it, but ask before buying more fish, if they are ok with that ph. There are some that really would not be ok with it.

^^THIS^^
AND BOO HISS to everyone who said buffers are ok.
You couldn't be more wrong about that!
Way harder to be accurately consistent mixing it all up(like you know how...), then to just let it be.
OP; How are your fish?
Have you lost any "unexplainably" lately?
.25 ammonia can be a false posistive.
Test your tap to see if it shows zero better for you.
If you fish did not die within 1-2 days of entering your tank DON"T mess with your water chemistry.
Your fish will appreciate the same water at every water change more then our best attempt.

 

[Brookster123]

I agree with bandit.. going up is one thing.. going down is a lost cause, you'll never steady that ship. Ro,.rainwater,bottledwater, Rodi?

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[Chels10117]

My fish are doing fine. But I just got the neons a short while ago so far they are doing great. My other fish are getting along with them they were a little nippy at first but all has settled down. I guess you're right. I shouldn't mess with it. I'm just worried. And yes, the water is hard here but we have a well so I'm using well water not city water. The test kit I have does not test hardness... When I used to take it to the pet store to get tested he said the water was hard but that's just how are water is here. And the tanks at the store were like that too and their fish do fine. Maybe I should not worry. I just don't want any fish to die lol. And I was thinking the .25 was a false positive too. The color was a little close to tell but it was closer to .25. I tested it a couple days ago and it said 0. Only yesterday did it say .25

 

[Chels10117]

Also the highest pH that the fish I have like is 7.5 according to looking at species profiles. Does the pH really affect them that much? They seem to be doing fine.

 

[coralbandit]

If the fish have lasted past a couple days the ph has little if any effect anymore.
If ammonia shows signs of growing after being in tank then the filter is overloaded or not fully cycled yet.
Keep an eye on that and change water before it gets to 1ppm for sure.
How long has tank been running?
I have heard no reason for you to mess with the pH IMO.

 

[Chels10117]

The tank has been running for 4 weeks going on 5. I added fish after the first week because everything tested okay I used some safe start and added fish slowly within week intervals and everyone has been doing okay. I'll test the water tomorrow and maybe do a slight water change. I plan on adding just 2 more fish but i'll wait and see how everything tests out before I buy them. I was going to get them this weekend. I guess I'll leave the pH alone unless I see any problems. Thanks for your help.

 

[PNWaquarist]

I may have missed it earlier, but did you cycle your tank? If not, keep a close eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels. If the tank hasn't been formally cycled, wait another month or so before adding more fish.

If you have hard well water, it likely has a ton of bicarbonate that is strongly buffering the water. It's difficult to safely alter the pH in water like that. I agree with the others to not worry about it. Neon Tetras prefer slightly acidic water, but will survive at pH 8.2. They might not have optimal color, but they'll be OK.

 

[Chels10117]

Yes it cycled for a week before adding any fish. I'm not one for formally cycling my tank and waiting months... So I added safe start and tested everything and slowly added fish over the course of the next 3 weeks. I'm just monitoring the chemistry in the tank closely and doing small water changes frequently. Everything is doing just fine. So the pH wont hurt them? That's good.

 

[enrgizerbunny]

Yes it cycled for a week before adding any fish. I'm not one for formally cycling my tank and waiting months... So I added safe start and tested everything and slowly added fish over the course of the next 3 weeks. I'm just monitoring the chemistry in the tank closely and doing small water changes frequently. Everything is doing just fine. So the pH wont hurt them? That's good.

If the fish seem to be doing fine and the store has about the same water chemistry I REALLY wouldn't worry about it. Consistent water chemistry is extremely important. Having the "perfect" water chemistry is less important. Mainly because the perfect water chemistry is the one that you can maintain consistently.

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[Chels10117]

Thank you so much! Makes me feel better now.