Cheap way to lower pH?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Amaroq

Amaroq

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 1, 2007
490
1
48
In The Little Town Of Bedrock!
I might have stumbled onto something beautiful here:headbang2

Has any here ever tried to lower there pH with Sodium bisulfate? It is commonly used in pools to lower the pH. All it does is create a chemical reaction upon mixing with water causing Sulfuric acid to be produced and as you all know Sulfuric acid has a low pH. In short it lowers the pH quite easily. I've been thinking of using this to lower my pH and just keep it in a tub under the tank. This would allow me to have a low pH without the having to get a ton of tannins in the water. I haven't looked into how much it would cost but from Amazon it is about $35 for 15lbs of the stuff and I would imagine that would last me quite some time!

So all you nerdy folk come forth and grant me your powers! (I'm a nerd to so it makes it alright for me to say!! :ROFL:)

Spencer
 
kevinfleming21;4392101; said:
a chaca chaca catfish, not really cheap though....
Click to expand...

I love it! Now only to find a way to hook it up to a diluter so I could a constant pH, the best part about it is I only to make the catfish s%#* and piss and I've got a pH buffer! :ROFL:

Spencer
 
You can buy the sodium bisulfate in two pound bottles at your local pool supply store (or mass merchant), and that will last you 'till the end of forever.

However, I don't think it would be the ideal product to use. I think hydrochloric acid (muriatic) would be better. Sulphur products could probably encourage hydrogen sulfide production (a toxic byproduct of anaerobic respiration) if bacteria can find sufficient "dead spots" (deep gravel beds, sand, filters during an extended power outage). Hydrochloric acid will break down to water after all is said and done.

Sulphuric acid and hydrochloric acid are both commonly used in swimming pools to alter the pH. In a fish tank, you will need to be super careful in dosing and mixing. Rapid fluctuations in pH can be far worse than just letting your fish live in a different pH than their native environment (acclimating to your tap water).
 
CHOMPERS;4392792; said:
You can buy the sodium bisulfate in two pound bottles at your local pool supply store (or mass merchant), and that will last you 'till the end of forever.

However, I don't think it would be the ideal product to use. I think hydrochloric acid (muriatic) would be better. Sulphur products could probably encourage hydrogen sulfide production (a toxic byproduct of anaerobic respiration) if bacteria can find sufficient "dead spots" (deep gravel beds, sand, filters during an extended power outage). Hydrochloric acid will break down to water after all is said and done.

Sulphuric acid and hydrochloric acid are both commonly used in swimming pools to alter the pH. In a fish tank, you will need to be super careful in dosing and mixing. Rapid fluctuations in pH can be far worse than just letting your fish live in a different pH than their native environment (acclimating to your tap water).
Click to expand...

I was thinking of when I first fill the tank find the correct amount of buffer to use to get my pH to where I want it then from there on in only add the buffer to water while in its the buckets for water changes. Would that still be bad? I seem to think that it would be like adding salt every time you top up a saltwater tank, in that it would keep getting more acid, am I correct in thinking that?

I realized the same thing as well after I starting looking into it a bit deeper (for the mixing) and if I was to do it with the buckets seperately I would be dealing with quite tiny amounts of the buffer. To the point I might need to buy a small measuring device haha

Would you just recommend then to use only natural buffers such as the wood, leaves, and peat?

Also thanks very much for reply to my thread! :)

Spencer
 
By the way, there are already pH sensors/dosers on the market for commercial swimming pools (you will need to predilute the acid). There are also units for aquaculture. Check out Aquatic Eco-Systems for what they might have.

About dosing, you have to know what the buffer level is (alkalinity/Sodium Bicarbonate). If the alkalinity is high, it will take a lot of acid to make a difference. If the buffer is low, it won't take much to make a change.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom