Buffer pH or acclimate new fish slowly?

[coolfishguy12]

My tap water is medium on the hardness scale, and the pH is naturally around 7.7 or so.

I would like to start a tank for South American fish that need lower pH and soft-medium water. In researching the topic I seem to be getting mixed opinions on whether to adjust the hardness and pH to better suit the fish.

Some articles recommend never trying to adjust the water in this way, and say the fish should be fine as long as I drip acclimate the fish to the water as is. Other articles suggest adjusting the water with peat moss, almond leaves, driftwood etc.

What do you think? Have you tried either, what were your results?

 

[PNWaquarist]

Unless you're getting your fish from a place that keeps them in very soft water, I think that you should be OK just drip-acclimating them. Put a bunch of driftwood in your tank. The tannins will slowly leach out and, unless you have a super-high KH, they'll knock down your pH a bit. And they'll do it slowly enough that it won't cause a problem.

You may or may not have trouble with Cardinals, but the hardier tetras (Bloodfins, Black Skirts, Black Neons, etc.) should do just fine in those conditions if they're acclimated properly. Corys, otos, angels, and Clown/Bristlenose Pleco should all be OK in medium hardness water at pH 7.7. I would guess that Bolivian Rams would be able to handle that as well. I wouldn't do GBRs or discus.

 

[wildroseofky]

Stable PH is more important than a specific number. Most fish in pet stores are used to higher PH. I have neons and mollies that usually live in lower PH water but my PH is 7.6 and they all do fine.

 

[PNWaquarist]

Stable PH is more important than a specific number. Most fish in pet stores are used to higher PH. I have neons and mollies that usually live in lower PH water but my PH is 7.6 and they all do fine.

This is true for most tropical fish. But there are others that are more exacting when it comes to pH and will not live as long when they're kept outside of that range.

 

[wildroseofky]

I know some need lower PH. I am setting up a South American tank to try to breed my neons. I am using dried leaves, driftwood, and peat to lower the PH. My tap water has a lot of lime in it so the PH is high. I have seen peat potting soil used as a substrate to lower PH. Or you can just put the peat in a stocking and place it in the filter. They sell stuff that comes in a bottle to lower PH but I have never used it.

 

[coolfishguy12]

They sell stuff that comes in a bottle to lower PH but I have never used it.

From what I've read this stuff is brutal on fish. Apparently it causes huge swings in pH, rather than stabilizing it.

I'm thinking about possibly using a mix of distilled water and tap water to dilute the hardness. Just really nervous of doing things with peat/driftwood at this point, might have to graduate to using those natural methods once I've got more stable parameters.

 

[wildroseofky]

From my experience driftwood doesn't really lower the PH. I have a 10 g with three pretty good size pieces of driftwood in it and a 29 gallon with 8 pieces of various sizes in it. My PH still stays at 7.4. I am hoping to start my Neon breeding tank tomorrow and I am going to add peat to it. I will let you know what the PH starts out as and what it is in a week later.

 

[PNWaquarist]

If your tank water has a low KH, driftwood can lower tank pH. If your KH is high, it may not lower it at all.