How do I raise the pH in my water?

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[enjoyable_attempt]

[enjoyable_attempt]

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Aug 19, 2008
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Cleveland Ohio
Ive searched this a few times now, with a few different keywords and still can't find the answer I'm looking for.

I'm keeping some tang. cichlids and I need to raise my ph in two of my tanks, one from 7.5 to 8.0-8.3[40L], and the other from 7.6-8.3-8.5[55]. A couple of buddies I know that keep similar fish said they use salt and baking soda, but I'm not sure how to put that mixture together or how much per gallon to add.

Any advice will be helpful, and thanks in advanced.
 
Hi. 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tablespoon epsom salt, 1 teaspoon marine salt mix per 20 gallons. But you only add enough to treat 25% of the volume at a time. We used this in our pond to raise pH from below 6 to 7.2 and KH from 0 to 4 in only two weeks. Here is the link to the article: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/fwh2oquality.htm It worked so well that we're doing it on all of our tanks (just started with the last water change). There's also a chart that explains how much of the mix to use for certain fish (the above recipe is for a community aquarium, but you use more for other fish). It definitely works, and it's cheap, and easily measured.
 
ErnestLC;3528675; said:
there are also chemicals by API like pH UP to boost it.
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Yes, but these chemicals do not buffer the water, which leads to rapidly fluctuating pH, which isn't good for fish. To raise pH and keep it steady, you also have to raise KH. Plus, all the stuff in this mix is edible by humans, so it must be safe for fish. I'd never take a shot of pH UP. And this mix is way, way cheaper, which is a big deal if you have as many gallons as we do in our house!
 
justonemoretank;3528683; said:
Yes, but these chemicals do not buffer the water, which leads to rapidly fluctuating pH, which isn't good for fish. To raise pH and keep it steady, you also have to raise KH. Plus, all the stuff in this mix is edible by humans, so it must be safe for fish. I'd never take a shot of pH UP. And this mix is way, way cheaper, which is a big deal if you have as many gallons as we do in our house!
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Thanks, you have been realllly helpful. And thats exactly why I wanted a homemade recepie instead of some chemical I could buy a lfs.
 
Honestly, I'm so impressed with this mix that I think everyone should use it. It really turned our pond around. Our pH was so low, our biological filter was suffering, and we were seeing constant low levels of ammonia. It solved all of our problems, which is why we're adding it to our other tanks. It's really amazing.
 
I am soo not a fan of chemically altering your water, why not just get some crushed corals and throw it in a filter sock and put that in your filter? That will naturally buffer the water between 8.2-8.4
 
The reason we looked elsewhere than crushed coral was the amount it would take to buffer over a thousand gallons was daunting. It was totally expensive, and it takes up a whole lot of room. I don't see this as chemical alteration, because I don't view salt, epsom salt, or baking soda as chemicals. It's a lot safer than some toxic mix in a bottle.
 
Well you can use any calcium based rock such as lime stone. When you do things with an unnatural process it becomes harder to maintain, then what happens when something goes wrong and your not sure if it is something your doing or if there is another problem with the tank.
 
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