Ph problem

[N.Galvin]

I have just tested the ph of my water and it is showing up at 9 how do i lower this

Thanks

 

[Convict2161]

I have just tested the ph of my water and it is showing up at 9 how do i lower this

Thanks

9?

What kit are you using! What fish are you keeping? API reads 8.8 as the highest. Have you checked your tap water? Are you using or have you used any chemicals recently?

What's your filtration like?

You don't want to being down your pH too fast. This would be a very slow process IMO. stability is vital! pH swings will harm or kill fish more, again my opinion. You need to figure out a few things first. Get those questions answered and we can take it from there.

But to answer your question they do sell products that will help raise or lower your pH but again you would be doing this over a period of time.

Also when was the last time you tested your pH? Just trying to get a baseline. 2-3 weeks ago? Longer? Shorter?

 

[N.Galvin]

I have posed a picture of the test kit i have only just bought it the last tiine it was checked was about a month ago tbh i took it to the lfs they said it was a little but high but fine. I only have 3 mollies at the monent.
The filtrraition is a eheim which i got with the tank but i am after a new one because i dont think it is any good and finaly i used a white spot treatment about 2 weeks ago could this raise the ph?
I was told i could use a very small amount of line cordial to bring it down over time

 

[Convict2161]

I have posed a picture of the test kit i have only just bought it the last tiine it was checked was about a month ago tbh i took it to the lfs they said it was a little but high but fine. I only have 3 mollies at the monent.
The filtrraition is a eheim which i got with the tank but i am after a new one because i dont think it is any good and finaly i used a white spot treatment about 2 weeks ago could this raise the ph?
I was told i could use a very small amount of line cordial to bring it down over time

The LFS said it was a little high and you tested it at 9? First of re do the test and see what you come up with then test your tap. I'm not sure what your talking about "line cordial" to bring down pH. But in any event yes you would want to this over time as to NOT shock the fish.

 

[N.Galvin]

The LFS said it was a little high and you tested it at 9? First of re do the test and see what you come up with then test your tap. I'm not sure what your talking about "line cordial" to bring down pH. But in any event yes you would want to this over time as to NOT shock the fish.

Lime cordial is a drink that u add water to il try my tap water to see what i get

 

[0Louis0]

I think the rise is caused by either your tap water (you should test it) or any kind of gravel or decoration you have, what kind of gravel and decorations do you have?
Also what is your test kit? You said you posted a picture but that still doesn't answer us

 

[Rivercats]

In order to test your tap water and get a true ph reading you need to fill a glass with water and either aerate it or stir it off and on over a 24 hour period. Then test the ph after the water has had this time to gas off. This will be your true tap water ph.

I strongly advise not using chemical as they are only a temp fix. If your tap truely is exceedingly high then the best thing to do would be to use RO water to regulate your ph.

 

[N.Galvin]

Waterlife the kit is called and sorry i forgot to add the picture here it is

 

[Rivercats]

I would suggest getting an API ph test kit which is a well know reliable brand.

 

[Convict2161]

I would suggest getting an API ph test kit which is a well know reliable brand.

+1 ditch that test kit. API freshwater test kits are cheap enough.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000255NCI

 

[HUKIT]

I would suggest getting an API ph test kit which is a well know reliable brand.

+1 ditch that test kit. API freshwater test kits are cheap enough.

API Freshwater Master Test Kit:Amazonet Supplies

There is nothing wrong with Waterlife test kits, they're very popular in the UK. We are testing aquarium water here not trying to cure cancer, they are simply used as a guide.

 

[molliwopp]

Waterlife the kit is called and sorry i forgot to add the picture here it is

Waterlife are usually good, a leader in aquaria products in the UK. But i have no experience with their testing kits and a ph of 9 seems extreme. The API test kit is tried and tested.

 

[N.Galvin]

What is the bestbway to gradually bring it down

 

[Carl1]

If your unsure if the ph reading from the waterlife kit is accurate or not then test some bottled water & see how close it gets to the ph on the label of the bottle this should give you an indication as to wether the kit is reasonably accurate or not.

 

[Carl1]

I have a ph on my tap water of between 8.2-8.4 which is quite high, the fish adapt to the high ph but the plants suffer badly.I tested api ph down on my tap water & it went down to 8.0 I left the bucket overnight & it bounced back to 8.4 due to the buffers in the water.if this happened in the tank it would be a nightmare for the fish! So I would advise against chemicals, a stable ph is better than a fluctuating ph.i have a 15 gallon tank which is small so I am using bottled water with tap water to lower my ph.my aim is to have 2/3 bottled water to 1/3 tap water which hopefully should buffer the water and gradually bring my ph down to 7.8 this is the cheapest & easiest option which I can control without chemical use.

 

[Rivercats]

I use RO water to keep my ph/kh/gh down. You will have to figure out the ratio of RO to tap for WC's but once you get the ratio correct to achieve the ph desired it works great. I too have very hard, high ph water and that is the only way I can safely correct it.

 

[N.Galvin]

I use RO water to keep my ph/kh/gh down. You will have to figure out the ratio of RO to tap for WC's but once you get the ratio correct to achieve the ph desired it works great. I too have very hard, high ph water and that is the only way I can safely correct it.

Sorry im pretty new ti the hobby so i dont non what RO water is haha

 

[Rivercats]

Reverse Osmosis. In the states you can buy it at grocery stores and many fish shops but don't know about that in the UK.

 

[0Louis0]

Dude don't look for ways to lower it down, look for the problem that caused it to rise first!
I ask again, what kind of gravel and decor do you have in your aquarium and did you test your tap water?

 

[N.Galvin]

My gravel is just some blue gravel which im lookin to get rid of anyway and my decor i have some plants some drift wood and rocks

The tap water ph was showing up as 8 on that chart but u dont no how acurate that is to be honest