Driftwood and PH
- Thread starter tsaraber
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Blackpearl
Aquarium Advice Regular
Good question. I'd like to know too. 
ceridwen
Aquarium Advice Newbie
I would think it would eventually lose it's ability to lower the pH, as it runs out of tannins. None of my driftwood has ever colored the water or significantly altered the pH in any of my tanks (I have 3 with driftwood, fairly large pieces).
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
As an organic object, as it "decays" it will continue to lower the pH, since the decay process produces acids. It may take many, many years for it to decay to the point of being unuseable in a tank, but it will continue to lower pH, combined with the general tendency for tanks to become more and more acidic as they age due to the organic compounds that build up in the water, even with regular water changes.
I don't think it is a problematic feature, unless you are trying to keep fish that thrive in very hard water.
I don't think it is a problematic feature, unless you are trying to keep fish that thrive in very hard water.
madasafish
Aquarium Advice Addict
I agree. It will continue to do so, though it may lower pH most at first with the immediate leaching of a great deal of its tannins/other organics.
One important element of the decay process is the production of free H+ ions (hydronium ion) which, by definition, lower pH (which refers, on a logarithmic scale, to the number of free H+ ions in a solution). So, as long as it decays slowly over time, it will continue to produce the hydronium and keep pH down.
I believe the above is right, but I'm an earth scientist, not a chemist or botanist...
One important element of the decay process is the production of free H+ ions (hydronium ion) which, by definition, lower pH (which refers, on a logarithmic scale, to the number of free H+ ions in a solution). So, as long as it decays slowly over time, it will continue to produce the hydronium and keep pH down.
I believe the above is right, but I'm an earth scientist, not a chemist or botanist...
Menagerie
Aquarium Advice Addict
Plus with water changes, the pH is not going to plummet.
Got another question for ya...
Since driftwood lowers the ph, does it help any to put some kind of calciferous rock or shells in there to balance things out?
What about using something like Seachem's Neutral Regulator - does that work?
Since driftwood lowers the ph, does it help any to put some kind of calciferous rock or shells in there to balance things out?
What about using something like Seachem's Neutral Regulator - does that work?
madasafish
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yes, an alkaline rock like limestone, or calcarious shells will probably balance out the pH. IME, they raise the KH of the water more than the pH.
Do NOT use Seachem's Neutral Regulator. That's a product I used to use and recommend, but it uses phosphate buffers to neutralize the pH, and these can lead to high levels of phosphate in the tank, and thus algae blooms etc.
If your tank's water is a little bit off of the natural water pH for the fish you have, that's fine. Of course, you shouldn't keep Cardinal Tetras in 8.4, or African Cichlids in 6.0, but something within reason of the natural range is much preferable to adding potentially damaging chemicals!
What, specifically is your pH, and what do you want it to be? What fish are we talking about?
HTH
Do NOT use Seachem's Neutral Regulator. That's a product I used to use and recommend, but it uses phosphate buffers to neutralize the pH, and these can lead to high levels of phosphate in the tank, and thus algae blooms etc.
If your tank's water is a little bit off of the natural water pH for the fish you have, that's fine. Of course, you shouldn't keep Cardinal Tetras in 8.4, or African Cichlids in 6.0, but something within reason of the natural range is much preferable to adding potentially damaging chemicals!
What, specifically is your pH, and what do you want it to be? What fish are we talking about?
HTH
The PH is currently at 6.8 and we're shooting for the elusive 7.0 - but we're going about it in a bit of an unusual manner. Our tap water is horrible - full of phosphates and all kinds of other crap. It's like 8.3 PH and really hard. So we started using straight distilled water and adding back in the necessaries, Fresh Trace for the trace elements, Equilibrium for the minerals and GH and Neutral Regulator for the PH and KH. So far the algae hasn't been too bad (one of our tanks has been set up for about eight months now). The fish we're aiming to keep are angels, gourami, danios, maybe some tetras later on down the road and even further down we'd like to try discus but not for a very long time, not until we're absolutely sure we know what we're doing and from what I hear, we need to wait until the angels are gone.
As for phosphates, kinda funny we nix our tap water to get rid of them and then add them right back in with the Neutral Regulator. It's a planted tank though, don't the plants need phosphates?
I know 6.8 isn't so bad but my main concern is the buffers. With the driftwood in there we need to find something to hold the PH steady. I got a whole bag of shells from the North Sea, I think some would work nicely - would have to look into that more.
Does the driftwood reduce the KH?
As for phosphates, kinda funny we nix our tap water to get rid of them and then add them right back in with the Neutral Regulator.
It's a planted tank though, don't the plants need phosphates?I know 6.8 isn't so bad but my main concern is the buffers. With the driftwood in there we need to find something to hold the PH steady. I got a whole bag of shells from the North Sea, I think some would work nicely - would have to look into that more.
Does the driftwood reduce the KH?
TankGirl
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you are concerned about your KH (and it is good that you are) then just add some crushed coral to a mesh bag in your filter. Sounds like you need a good filter on your household tap water, as well!
Plants do need phosphates, but I know mine come out of the tap at .5ppm so I have to remove it with a phosphate removing "bead" product that also goes into the filter - algae is a constant battle. I am down to .1ppm with the product.
Plants do need phosphates, but I know mine come out of the tap at .5ppm so I have to remove it with a phosphate removing "bead" product that also goes into the filter - algae is a constant battle. I am down to .1ppm with the product.
