I have a 55 gal fresh water tank that has been up for years. Kind of lost interest in it, so it got run down. I would like to clean it up and put more fish in. My well water has no nitrate , nitrite nor phos., but the ph is 8.3. What can I use to lower it to 7.0 and keep it there. Thanks.
ph help
- Thread starter roho
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madasafish
Aquarium Advice Addict
pH neutralizer from SeaChem. It works like a charm. Look it up online, and you should be able to find it at the LFS or at Petco/Petsmart. It comes in a cylindrical container, not in a pack--those are a waste of money.
It doesn't just lower the pH, it neutralizes it, meaning that you can bring it up or down. Cool product, and it works really well!
It doesn't just lower the pH, it neutralizes it, meaning that you can bring it up or down. Cool product, and it works really well!
madasafish
Aquarium Advice Addict
Here it is. It's called "Neutral Regulator."
http://www.permutator-reviews.com/petco/fish-food-and-supplies/Seachem-219258.html
http://www.permutator-reviews.com/petco/fish-food-and-supplies/Seachem-219258.html
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
Any reason to lower it? Sounds perfect for African cichlids! I personally find it is much easier to find fish that like your water parameters than changing your water to meet the needs of fish. You cannot lower it and keep it there, no matter what you do. You can treat the water that goes into your tank but you must first decide if it is worth it to tweak every drop that you put in for water changes, versus finding fish that are happy with what comes naturally. If you do not intend to breed fish it may not be such an issue, and if your LFS keeps their fish in higher pH as well, then you can keep them too. There are whole-house water treatment units but this can get pricey and if you don't want to treat all of the water that comes into the house, then it is not practical. Some LFS will sell you treated water, if need be. It is a big decision.
Voodoo Chilli
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I agree with Tankgirl. I'll assume that with a pH of 8.3 your tap water is also going to have relatively high hardness levels. This means excellent buffering capacity-- which means the pH will always "bounce" back to its original value, regardless of what you treat the water with. Shifting pH values are a huge cause of fish stress/death. Unless you're willing to spend money on an RO unit, lowering the pH in a tank is a time consuming and precarious situation. As Tankgirl mentioned, it's much easier to match fish to your water conditions, rather than trying to bend the water to match the fish.
madasafish
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well, TankGirl may be right about matching fish to water conditions--it is easier for sure. But I've never had a problem with the SeaChem products. My water's a solid 7.0, and I find that the SeaChem Discus Buffer (lowers the pH between 5.8 and 6.8 depending on the amount you add) keeps the water at an absolutely solid 6.5. It's a great product!
I remember several years ago, I tried to maintain a 7.0 or 7.5 ph and a hour or so later it was 8.3 again. I just thought that something new had been found and it sounds like magasfish really like the SeaChem product.
I kinda wanted to put in a several Angel fish, but maybe not. Thanks to all of you.
I kinda wanted to put in a several Angel fish, but maybe not. Thanks to all of you.
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
If Roho is willing to do the calculations to treat the water, then that is great! That is exactly what these products are for. A serious aquarist trying to duplicate particular conditions for a particular fish has no qualms about carefully mixing water for changes, and in fact probably enjoys this task. There are a multitude of ways to do this, from the filter media end of things to the water end of things, and even to substrate and decorations. If the aquarist has been told that a pH of 7 is the "ideal," as many fish hobbyists are told at the LFS, then they might assume that they need to get their water at 7 and go from there. I want to reassure those individuals that it is not always necessary. I am sure Roho will respond and let us know what is a reasonable approach!
If his water is as hard as it sounds, the SeaChem product won't do much.
I just bought some to try to lower the PH in my hospital tank. The PH of my tap water is about 8.1. I added enough Neutral Regulator for five gallons to a one gallon bucket--no change whatsoever. I mixed half tap water with half RO which gives me a PH of 7.8. I still had to add twice the recommended amount of Neutral Regulator to drop it to 7.6.
I used this for my hospital tank but I wouldn't mess with this stuff in my regular tanks.
If you really want to lower your PH, try peat granules in your filter or a large piece of driftwood in the tank. I do this, along with mixing 1/3 RO water with my tapwater to soften it a bit. This keeps things stable in my tank.
I just bought some to try to lower the PH in my hospital tank. The PH of my tap water is about 8.1. I added enough Neutral Regulator for five gallons to a one gallon bucket--no change whatsoever. I mixed half tap water with half RO which gives me a PH of 7.8. I still had to add twice the recommended amount of Neutral Regulator to drop it to 7.6.
I used this for my hospital tank but I wouldn't mess with this stuff in my regular tanks.
If you really want to lower your PH, try peat granules in your filter or a large piece of driftwood in the tank. I do this, along with mixing 1/3 RO water with my tapwater to soften it a bit. This keeps things stable in my tank.
I have a 20 gal reef tank that I use DI water from a portable filter, but wouldn't get into that with the 55 gal. I have to replace the filter after 35 to 40 gal at 25.00 each time. The expense of a complete RO/DI unit would not be worth it to me. Looks like I'll go the cichlid route. Thanks.
bettacove
Aquarium Advice Freak
madasafish:
Does the SeaChem stuff come in tablets or what? Does the water actually stay at 7.0 and not move at all!? My pH is like 8.2, and i have this crap thats supoused to keep it down but it only does it for like a couple days then it goes back up again!
thanks
ashley
Does the SeaChem stuff come in tablets or what? Does the water actually stay at 7.0 and not move at all!? My pH is like 8.2, and i have this crap thats supoused to keep it down but it only does it for like a couple days then it goes back up again!
thanks
ashley
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