20g Amazon tank

[fishdude343]

i have had a amazon tank for a while now and have recently learned that i need a type of acid for my tank.I have looked around on the web and can't find a place that says it.Does anyone that has experience with amazon tanks know what kind of acid i should put in it.

 

[blazeyreef]

im not sure of what you mean by "acid"? I have never heard of anyone useing an acid in an aquarium. Do you mean something along the lines of blackwater extract? To give it that natural, tanins look?

 

[Sum22]

acidic water, like the pH?

 

[rich311k]

What is your PH? Chemicals are not a great idea. Peat, black water extract, driftwood or mixing tap with ro/di water are much better ways to go about lowering PH and KH.

 

[gheitman]

i have had a amazon tank for a while now and have recently learned that i need a type of acid for my tank.I have looked around on the web and can't find a place that says it.Does anyone that has experience with amazon tanks know what kind of acid i should put in it.

Are your fish suffering in any way with the current water conditions? While it may be desirable to have acidic waters (i.e. pH <7.0) depending on the species it is usually more important that you have good quality water. I use liquid buffers to lower the pH and black water extract to soften the water in some of my tanks but it is equally if not more important that I perform partial water changes (PWCs) on a regular basis.

BTW, in case you don't already know this be sure and visit Sailfin in Champaign. They are a great LFS with a good selection of fish, plants, equipment and accessories. You can visit their web site at www.sailfin.com. I don't work there I'm just a satisfied customer.

 

[fishdude343]

I read somewhere that you need to put acid in an amazon tank because the water where they live have some sort of acid.But my fish are doing whell they are growing.I do pwcs to but not alot it dosn't get that dirty.

 

[saffikeagan]

Do not in anyway use chemicals to start changing your water parameters. It's a really bad idea. If your fish are happy and healthy, it doesn't matter what your water is like so long as it's constant.

Having said that, there are some organic methods of lowering your pH like adding lots of wood to the tank. HOWEVER, as I found out, this can still be problematic if have to do a large PWC. I have two large pieces of wood in my tank to create blackwater conditions it also lowers my pH to about 7.2. But if I do a PWC and replace more than about 15% of my water, my pH starts rising and that can be stressful/deadly to the fish as my tap water is at 7.8-8.0.

 

[fishdude343]

I think i have found what i was looking for here is the site.

http://www.aquariumguys.com/brackish-blackwater-care.htmlps there is more

on the page here is what i want you to look at

instant amazon
black water expert
amazon rain
Live Bearer Brackish Aquarium Salt

Thanks

p.s.s by the way how did we get to number 5 on aqua rank we were number 1 like two days ago????

 

[gheitman]

I use the Black Water Expert product myself to help stimulate the fish. The Live Bearer Brackish Aquarium Salt doesn't really apply in this instance.

 

[fishdude343]

I use the Black Water Expert product myself to help stimulate the fish. The Live Bearer Brackish Aquarium Salt doesn't really apply in this instance.

so which of them should i get. How has the black water been working.

 

[gheitman]

I can't tell if it has had any effect on my fish or not. It does soften the water and lower the pH.

 

[fishdude343]

Does the rain do the same thing? Or does it do something else.Also what is your ph level in your tank?

 

[gheitman]

Black Water Expert, Amazon Rain, Instant Amazon and Blackwater Extract all basically do the same thing (i.e. soften the water and lower the pH). I've also used Blackwater Extract in the past but can't testify to the effectiveness of the other two. I try to maintain a pH around 6.4 for my softwater fish and use this type of product along with an acid buffer. This is of secondary importance to maintaining good water quality though. I do partial water changes to my tanks on a weekly basis and monitor the nitrite/nitrate levels for spikes.