Safest and best way to raise PH

[CrystalClear]

I have been testing my water everyday and I notice that I am getting a constant reading of 7.0 of PH (or very close to it). I am think with going with some sort of cichlid tank, which I know these fish need a higher PH. Is there a preferred way to raise the PH over another? I know they sell the "PH up" liquid in stores. Is this a good stuff to use and will it remain stable?

 

[dkpate]

Check this out:


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/using-baking-soda-to-raise-ph-1165.html

 

[CrystalClear]

Very interesting about baking soda. I wonder how long it will keep the pH up though. It says it won't last a while, so I wonder if it is more of a short time fix. Is there any way to keep the pH up at a consistent level?

 

[dkpate]

Did you see the part about the crushed coral? And shells? To me they would seem to last longer.

 

[Markstanfill]

PH is really not as big of a deal as some people think. A cichlid will do fine in neutral water. PH swings are what hurt the fish really. Ive kept many Dempseys, Oscars, etc. with neutral PH or lower with ease. But I would second crushed corals to bring it up and keep it that way if you choose to.

 

[mcgrady7761]

if ur interested in buffering the water to a higher pH, then agaronite sand. it self buffers to 8.2

 

[hbeth82]

Slightly off-topic but any good method of lowering / buffering the pH? Peat media (which I'm trying to find) and driftwood (not make much difference thus far) have been suggested.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I have been testing my water everyday and I notice that I am getting a constant reading of 7.0 of PH (or very close to it). I am think with going with some sort of cichlid tank, which I know these fish need a higher PH. Is there a preferred way to raise the PH over another? I know they sell the "PH up" liquid in stores. Is this a good stuff to use and will it remain stable?

Not all cichlids prefer a high ph. Those chemicals are not a good idea imo. I say a stable ph of 7.0 is MUCH better than one fluxuating up and down all the time. Even a small change in ph is a very big change to the fish... I say leave it and dont worry with it...

 

[JPKeenan]

I can send you a baggies of crushed coral. A neighbor of mine has a saltwater tank and gave me his bag of left overs.

Can either trade you something for it or cover the cost of shipping. Shipping shouldn't really be over $5 or $6.

 

[jsoong]

Don't use those chemicals in the lfs ... they won't keep the pH up for more than a few hrs & you end up with yo-yo-ing pH.

If you must raise the pH, you are better off using a carbonate source. Crush coral, crushed shell, crushed limestone, or any carbonatious sand will do the trick. These dissolve into the water until the water reaches equilibrium (~7.8 ). The dissolving stops at the equilibrium pH, so no matter how much you add, you can't over-do the pH. In addition, as the buffer is used up & pH start to drop, the cc dissolves in, keeping the pH rock steady.

Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) comes in when you have to do a large pwc. It takes a day or 2 to raise pH in your change water using crush coral, etc. So if you have to do an emergency water change, you can make up your change water quickly by adding baking soda to the water so the pH match that of the tank.

 

[CrystalClear]

I finally found a good LFS where they actually knew what they were talking about when I got my fish today and they said that crushed coral is the best idea to raise the PH.

JP I may take you up on your offer. I would only need a piece or two. What size rocks do you have?

 

[JPKeenan]

It's crushed coral so it is about the size of garden stone or so, maybe quarter sized chunks to smaller. I'll pull some out later to check it out.