Has anyone tried this product?

[Guest]

Just wondering if anyone has tried this product. I'm thinking of using it to regulate the pH in my tank. Any input is much appreciated.

 

[talloulou]

What product? I generally advise people not to use "products" to monkey with their pH.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I agree with talloulou. I don't advise using products to mess with your pH. Whats wrong with your current pH?

 

[Guest]

A little high.

My current pH is a little high for my fish I think. Right now pH is at about 8.4 and it would be better under 8.

 

[evilclown312]

well im no genious but what if u put it in and it gets way to low taht could be worse then what its at now right ?

 

[Guest]

Well it says it will get your tank to 7.5 pH. That's why I was wondering if anyone had tried it, so I knew if it was safe and/or a good/bad idea.

 

[talloulou]

Here is a good article to help get you started on your pH research

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Soodhanan_pH.html

The most important thing to realize is that a stable pH is more important than an "ideal" pH. The "products" sold to alter pH are notorious for causing more problems than they solve. Some people try to lower their pH with driftwood. I would definitely try that before any chemicals.

And unless I missed something you still haven't even mentioned the actual name of the "product" you are considering. Perhaps if you did you would get more info from people who have experience with it.

 

[Jchillin]

Just hope it isn't the notorius "ph-down". Here's the thing with chemical addiditives. When you add it, it will artificially lower your ph. Once you perform any PWC's, your ph will go back up to it's normal level. You will need to add more of this stuff at each water change to keep it where the chemicial artificially left you.

Overtime, this will create havoc with your kh and create an unnecessary ph crash.

As the other members mentioned, a stable ph is always better than an ideal one. Chances are, most of the tanks at your lfs have the same ph as your tap water (unless of course you live in a different area altogether).

 

[Fishyfanatic]

There are other alternatives to this chemical. Mixing RO/DI water with your tap is one, or you can try driftwood or peat.

 

[SerLunchbox]

also, i would remember this:

There are much more natural ways to lower your pH. If your KH and GH are low then LOTS (and i meand LOTS) of driftwood can help to lower you pH. The other way to go is to add peat into your filters.

Stay away from chemical additives, they are REALLY bad

 

[jrp1588]

Well, i think that was a pretty cut and dry answer. I almost bought something to raise my pH a little. It's around 6.4 and I want it closer to 7.5 where it used to be. I suppose that's what happens when I put in driftwood and start co2 injections at once. hehe

 

[jrp1588]

O yeah, Beave has well water, so he won't have the same water conditions as the lps which is on city water.

 

[talloulou]

If you are going to be overly concerned with pH I would attempt to stock with fish that prefer your pH range. That's much easier than trying to alter the pH you have. That being said I have a high pH and have been able to keep fish that ideally prefer much lower pH levels with no problem.

 

[Guest]

Dang, I just realized that the link I posted to the product never showed up. Here's what I was going to try, but you guys have convinced me otherwise. http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=28427;category_id=2237;pcid1=2207;pcid2=

 

[greenmaji]

Thats funny because I was going to chime in if they didnt.. Chemicals are very bad!

 

[travis simonson]

Just for the record, most pH lowering products that I'm aware of use phosphate buffering to bring the pH down. The phosphates in these products can cause a host of problems from algal blooms to toxicity to unpredictable pH swings. This is why they are not recommended.

Products that increase pH are generally safer as they often buffer the water with Ca and Mg salts and bicarbonates. I use sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to buffer my tap water up to around 8.0-8.2 pH and 12-14 dKH for my African cichlids and have not had any problems.

All that said, Seachem makes a product named Neutral Regulator that is supposed to regulate your pH at 7.0. It lowers pH by precipitating Ca and Mg from the water column and is supposedly much safer than other pH modifying products. I can't vouch for it because I have never tried it, but Seachem is, IMHO, a very reputable company.

 

[greenmaji]

Haa yes.. buffering the waters ph up is a big difference.. but down.. I think seachem is an excellent company with excellent products but still wouldnt use there chemical to bring the ph down.. if it was an absolute necessity to bring it down I would use RO, RO/DI, DI, or distilled water in a % mix with the tap water.

 

[megladonsharky]

I didnt need to but drift wood is a good natural way to lower ph.. mine went down .2 for a while

 

[krap101]

well... u could boil some wood or peat in some water