Proper pH 6.5 ???

[lyquidphyre]

So I went to the lfs and picked up a new krib since my other one passed away and this girl tested my water and she said my pH was 7.2 and she suggested I use "Proper pH 6.5" to lower my pH for my kribs and angels... and to help with water hardness.

So, I read the instructions and it says:
ph 6.5 are phosphate buffers and should not be used with live aquarium plants.

Well, I have like aquarium plants *grr*
So, should I use this anyways and then dose phosphate into my tank tomorrow? Im not sure I can take it back since I already opened it

[Fishyfanatic]

I wouldn't use it. Those products just cause the pH to fluctuate. Your pH is fine at 7.2. If my Angels can live in 8.2, you're just fine. Do you know what your hardness reading is?

[sherry]

never mess with your ph using chemicals. you will end up polluting your water in a quest for the perfect ph and really what fish need most is stability.

if you really want slightly lower ph, put a piece of driftwood in the tank.

[HannahJ]

Don't use chemical pH alterers! I can not stress that enough! If you use a chemical mean to change your pH, your pH is going to end up very unstable, and that will stress your fish far more than a stable pH that is a little out of their range. A pH of 7.2 is nowhere near far enough out of range to do any real damage. In fact, I hunted around the internet a bit and a lot of sites I checked said that the pH range for angels is 6.0-7.2, so you are completely in range for them, and that kribs like 7.0, which means a pH of 6.5 would be farther from what they like than 7.2.

The only real negative side effect of a slightly high pH will be that the fish are going to be a little less likely to reproduce, but unless you are actively seeking this, it shouldn't be too big of a deal. One thing to keep in mind is that the average range for stream water pH is about 5.5 to 7.5, and a lot of freshwater tropical fish will have lived in streams in the wild, and you fall well within this average.

If you are still concerned over your fish and want to lower the pH a little, you do have some options left for doing so that don't resort to chemicals. Injecting CO2 (or more CO2 if you are already doing so) will help to lower your pH, as will adding peat moss to your filter or to the water you add to your tank (done by aerating water in a bucket with peat moss in it for a few days before a PWC).

Here is a good website that addresses all this:

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-chem.html

I hope that helped!

[hulkamaniac]

People make way too much ado about PH. As long as it's not extreme and it's stable, the fish will be fine. 7.2 is not high at all. My water is 7.8 and I've kept rams, cardinals, angels and all kinds of tetras in it. My LFS keeps discus in water that's 7.8. As someone pointed out the only problem is that they may be less likely to breed. Beyond that, the fish will be fine.

I've used the chemicals before and they do work if your Kh isn't too high. If it is the ph will crash, then sore back up to where it is normally. Plus, you have to add the stuff in every water change and it becomes a pain. I'd avoid it.

[tropicfishman]

PH adjusters are very unstable and they can kill your fish from stress

[lyquidphyre]

I figured it was a bad idea to add pH chemicals, but I guess since Ive been had problems with my angels in the past I thought maybe it would help. I went against my better judgement =o)

I saved the reciept so I will return it soon.

[Laser]

I was told that my cardinal tetras would surely not survive in my tank which has a PH of 8.0. I spent two hours acclimating them slowly and they all lived. I wouldn't try messing with the PH if you have hard water, if it's buffered as high as mine it'll bounce right back up more than likely killing your fish and bacteria in the process.

[hulkamaniac]

Originally Posted by Laser

I was told that my cardinal tetras would surely not survive in my tank which has a PH of 8.0. I spent two hours acclimating them slowly and they all lived. I wouldn't try messing with the PH if you have hard water, if it's buffered as high as mine it'll bounce right back up more than likely killing your fish and bacteria in the process.

My LFS actually has a sign up preaching about water quality. Basically it says they won't exchange any fish unless they can check your water first (which makes sense). They use ph as an example and say that if your ph is high then angels will die while africans will love it and if your ph is low that africans will die and angels will live. It's completely bogus.

[joannde]

This thread is making ME feel much better - my pH is 8.2 ! And one of my neon's is just fine with it. I have found that I do need to spend longer acclimating new arrivals so I do a drip acclimation for approximately 3 hrs. That's probably too much but I'd rather err on the side of caution.

[Fishyfanatic]

The lfs does use pH too much as an excuse not to refund or replace fish. I was once told that my pH of 6.8 killed a clown pleco. It MUST be 7.0 to be able to live. They would freak if they knew I was at 8.2 with German Blue Rams, Rummies, and Angels.

[hulkamaniac]

The Ph from the tap here is 7.8. I keep all my fish in it and my LFS even keeps discus in it. There's another LFS here in town who uses chemicals to buffer their tanks. The fish appear just as healthy at one as they are at the other. I've bought fish at both places and not had any problems.