how to lower PH for apistos

[annnie]

Hi,

I know this is a silly question.. and i did try to google it.. but i seem to be finding mixed results and wanted answers to my specific situation

anywayyy I'm setting up a dwarf cichlid tank.. not sure on the stocking yet but i'm tossing between these species: bolivian rams, Blue balloon rams, apisto caca... then a small schooling fish like neons.. and maybe cories if i have room.

At the moment I just have the tank cycling and a peice of driftwood sitting in it. I tested the PH and it came up as 7.4. From what i've read it is best for it to be lower for the rams and apistos.

How do i do this naturally? I will be adding more driftwood and plants.. so i dunno if that will effect it.

thanks,
annie

 

[maxima423]

the reason you are getting high ph right now is prob because you are cycling, if you are adding pure ammonia, it will raise your PH

test your tap water and go from there, DW will lower ph by .1 or .2, my ph right now is around 6.8, i have two pieces of DW, one is around 10inches and the other is 13inches

 

[annnie]

I'm just adding fish food.. you can't get/it's hard to get pure ammonia in australia :-/

I just tested the water straight from the tap and it came up as 8.0!!!! waaa?
I wander if i put more driftwood in it will go down to where i want it hehe

 

[maxima423]

wow thats really high ph for tap water lol, than i dunno what to say =[

 

[HN1]

Test the tap after letting it sit out 24 hours and don't worry about any specific number until the tank is completely cycled. We've had rams and cacs in tanks ranging from 6.0 to 7.4 so they are pretty adaptable. When you stock, look for fish raised in captivity for better results. F0 fish can be more trouble to acclimate.

Peat in the filter, almond leaves, elder cones, wood in the tank, etc. once you know where your starting point truly is.

 

[annnie]

HN1 thanks for the info!.. I'll wait till after the cycle to obsess about it haha.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I have a male Apisto agassizii in my 29g and the pH is 7.4. He's doing well! Trying to lower the pH usually gets you in more trouble than not messing with it.

 

[severum mama]

I agree.

I'd also suggest staying away from the balloon rams... they are selectively bred to be deformed.

 

[annnie]

justonemore20: oh ok.. But if i wanted to lower the ph after it cycled and just added driftwood and almond leaves, would that keep the ph consistent?

severum mama: I know the balloon body is a deformity.. however in my personal opinion.. They dont seem impaired especially with their swimming. I wont be breeding them.. or releasing them into the wild. And alot of other domestic animals have been bred over time using specific "deformates" to achieve a breed. Anyway thats just my personal opinion at the moment.. I might change my mind when i find more information on them.

 

[JustOneMore20]

Driftwood and Almond Leaves should keep it pretty consistent. If you started to notice it creeping up, you could just replace the Almond Leaves.

My comment about not messing with the pH was mainly against products like pH down and the like. Those are no good.

 

[annnie]

ok thats great!. Yeah i really dont want to use PH chemicals.. it just seems unnecessary