Lower ph safely?

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Bwanny

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Messages
61
Hey guys quick question i heard that API ph up throws your cycle off a little bit when youre having ammonia issues like i have currently but ive noticed that my ph is consistently high because of the ph of the tap water at my place. How can i safely lower my ph without throwing my cycle off now that im making progress in my cycle.

In case and of you remember my username i had ammonia issues a little while back, just an update:
Ammonia- .50ppm
Nitrite- .50-1.0ppm
Nitrate- 5.0ppm
Ph 8.4
Finally getting somewhere and will hopefully soon have no ammonia!

Ive noticed some of my fish are acting a little slow so i wanted to lower my ph to get them a bit more active. The ph shouldnt be this high for my cichlid tank.
Thanks!



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What type of cichlids ?
So your cycle is not finish and you have cichlids in the tank, maybe their sluggish behavior has to do with the ammonia and nitrite readings.

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I have a jewel cichlid, a large oscar, a flower horn cichlid and a silver dollar. It could be but ive been doing 50% water changes every day. The cycle will come along eventually as it has but i wasnt sure how i could lower the ph just enough to get it within the appropriate range

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Ph discussions here can get like a political argument.
I personally would leave the ph alone and keep doing the water changes as you are, those are all pretty hardy fish to be affected by that ph reading.

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How big is your tank? You have a combustible selection of fish. Oscars are big but not necessarily aggressive. Jewel cichlids are aggressive. Flower horns are homicidal.

Stable ph is better than fluctuating ph. You could add some driftwood which would naturally lower the ph.

Regarding ammonia issues, I use Prime or Safe water conditioner which gives a false positive reading for ammonia. I believe that it binds the ammonia to make it safe, but ammonia still shows up during testing. If you really had ammonia in your tank, your fish would probably be dead already.
 
Yeah, my PH is too high for my fish, I feel that this may affect them in the long run. I've heard of API PH up and down but I don't know whether they will cause any harm. Should that be used in this case?

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Yea ive been adding prime to detoxify the ammonia. Thank you for the drift wood idea. Although i have some very agressive fish they seem to be relatively good. The oscar goes after the flowerhorn, the flowerhorn goes after the jewel and and the jewel goes after the silver dollar and the silver dollar is typically fast enough to get away.

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PH up and PH down are just ways they make money. There are cheaper ways to manipulate your ph. Small amounts of peat moss will lower it as will co2 and driftwood.


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Ah, where can I get those cheaply?

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There are good co2 systems that you can make yourself. Just google DIY co2 system. You can obviously buy a professional one for more dough.

Driftwood is all over the place. Places from Amazon to Reddit. You can get it anywhere just make sure it's good driftwood before buying. I am not an expert though when it comes to getting driftwood online.

Peat moss will be at your local nursery, Home Depot, lowes, etc. make sure it is organic or 100% peat moss. Many people use a Canadian brand "sunshine" with no problem. If you can't find it at any of those places. Some local fish shops sell peat moss filter additions although they will charge you more for it. I suggest you look up on how to lower your ph with peat moss as you can lower it too much if aren't careful.


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Yeah, I've been doing research like that. It seems that my fish have adapted somewhat to this PH. I've heard they can do that, but I still want to lower it to the correct unit.

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