driftwood question?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Dosn't it have alot to do with Alkalinity as well? If you have a high alkalinity, your pH won't have the ability to lower itself as easily?

I don't know if HarleyK agrees with me, but isn't the best way to create soft water and keep it stable is by actually stripping the water of its hardness, with an RO unit. Then afterwards, buffer your alkalinity in some way so that your pH does not go crashing through the floor.?

I have a dehumidifier in the fish room that drips out 'pure' water with 0 hardness and is incredibely soft. This works for me much better than an RO unit. I have it drip through a series of carbon resins and other purifiers, before re-cycling itself back into the main system.
 
Howdy,

Miles is absolutely right. Peat will have to overcome the alkalinity of the water before it can lower the pH. If you start out with water of low alkalinity/low hardness, little peat will go a long way. If your water is very hard and of high alkalinity, you'll need lots of peat and change it frequently. And as Miles also stated, you need at least a bit of hardness in order to prevent a "pH crash".

I think he truely gave you the answer to your 30-day leave: Get an R/O and perform water changes when you're home. Or even better: Use Neo's drip system with an R/O and tap water mix.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19920


:thumbsup:

HarleyK
 
As of now my Ph is stable at 7.2.....the Gh is around 2 and teh Kh is 7....perfect for my fish...but this is because im using bottleed water in this 30 gallon tank.....but my fish have outgrown the tank and i need to go bigger or get rid of them.....which is a last resort.....and if i decide to go for a bigger tank....at least a 90 gallon for Acestrorhynchus falcirostris i cant afford to use bottled water so its not a question.....and my tap water is wierd......ph is about 9....very soft with a Gh of 0......but the alkalinity is of the chart...like 18 or something.....very wierd....so im thinking if i fill large barrels with tap water and dump a bag of peat moss in it....stir it around every day for a week or two....let it settle and syphon it out it might be ok.....cuz i dont really think an RO unit for a 90-120 gallon tank is really efficient is it??? that would be just as costly as bottled water....or am i wrong??? i guess this is the last thing i need to figure out....And anyone who wants freshwater barracudas.....think again if u dont have AT LEAST a 90 gallon aquarium for just 2 or 3 of them....they grow like a wild forest fire...unbeliveable....juvinils out grow a 30 gallon tank in a month ....they grew like 4 inches....i thought i would have a t least 6 months....lol....oh well
 
MoJo said:
pour a couple spoons full of baking soda into the tank.... that will bring up ph as well. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

That's true, however, the question was to lower the pH value ;)
 
I have the same problem. My pH is 8.2 straight from the tap. Driftwood does nothing for me. Is there a special way to use peat? Just put it in a mesh flter bag and plunk it in the filter?
 
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