how do I lower my ph?

[snipes287]

hey I just set my tank up yesterday and put rocks in it. the PH yesterday was 8.2 and today it is 8.4. I heard someone saying that someone had drift wood that was sucking their ph down. is this what drift wood does? What should I do to lower my ph?

 

[Lepomis]

I came to the conclusion that I would just live with it. My water is 8.4 and my fish are doing fine. Do a search and their is a lot of discussion: reverse osmosis, peat, drift wood, and just say no the chemicals.

 

[mentallylost]

What kind of fish are you keeping? Some species need a higher ph than others.

 

[snipes287]

im not sure what im going to be keeping yet. I would like some shrimp, bamboo, and ghosties, pleco's, cats, bala sharks, angles, barbs, i really am not sure at this point in time.

got any suggestions?

 

[mentallylost]

African cichlids prefer high ph levels. If you tell us the size tank, we can help with a more specific fish list for you to look at.

 

[QTOFFER]

hey I just set my tank up yesterday and put rocks in it.

8O What kind of rocks? 8O Some rocks, like limestone, can raise the pH.

Also, what test kit are your using? The strip kits can be off by a few tenths of a pH unit. The liquid kits are much more accurate. I would also test your tapwater - let it sit in a glass for a few hours before testing.

Fortunately, most fish are quite adaptable and forgiving where pH is concerned - it's fluctuations that they will not tolerate. So, don't ever consider using PH up/down chemicals, or you will subject your fish to yo-yo pH levels. If your lfs uses the same water as you, then you really shouldn't have a problem.

Driftwood will lower your pH a bit (by maybe 0.5 - 1.0 pH unit). So will peat, which you can place in your filter. These methods will lower the pH gradually, and will not result in fluctuations.

 

[Guest]

Driftwood can leach tannic acid which will make your water more acidic. My driftwood lowered my pH from 7.8 to 6.8 over a period of a month. But you have to be prepared for the coloring effects of the tannic acid, which im dealing with now. Also ive heard if you have softer water it will be more acidic and hard water tends to be more alkaline. I put a water softener pillow in my filter and they may also have had some effect on my pH.. who knows. I wasn't really trying to adjust my pH i was just softening the water for some of my plants and i like the look of real driftwood.

The main thing to remember is large pH swings can cause serious stress to the fish, and during stressful times the fish are more prone to disease. THe main thing is to maintain a constant pH and a constant environment (i should follow my own advice right.. lol )

HTH

 

[jersysman]

I have a feeling it was just the water settling in. Most of the time, you have to let tap water sit for 24 hours to get the true ph of the water. So, you will probably be working with a -h of 8.4, which cichlids will love. As mentioned above, some rocks will also raise the ph of the water. Let us know how big your tank is and what kind of fish that you are interested in.

By the way, my water is liquid rock (ph of about 8.6 out of the tap) so in my other tanks (not my cichlid tank), I use RO water. That is also a possibility for you.

 

[snipes287]

my tank is 55 gal and the rocks that im using are just normal aquarium gravel stuff that I got in the 25lbs bags from the lfs. I havent tested my tap straight yet but ill put a bowl out tonight and let it set all day tomorrow. also, what is this "peat" that you talk of.

ohh, and the test kit im using is the aquarium pharmaceuticals master kit

as far as the fish's go im not really sure but im thinking somewhere around:some shrimp, bamboo, and ghosties, plecos, cats, bala sharks, angles, barbs, those cook knife fish guys, but im really not sure at this point in time.