how to raise PH

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Plecostomus
MFK Member
Oct 8, 2009
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Gold Coast
ok i think i would like to raise the ph in my tank. the current ph in my tank is about 6.4 (due to lots of driftwood) but the ph out of my tap is about 7.4 so every time i do a water change its like a roller coaster for my fish. i would like to raise my tanks ph to around 7. i have a 500liter tank and was wondering how much crushed coral i would need to raise my tank to the desired ph???? i just brought 1kg
 
1 kilogram of crushed coral in a canister filter is a good start. If that doesn't do the trick add another 1/2 Kilo at a time until you get your desired results.
 
i've never tested the KH?

i just added about 1/2 kg, how long will it take to see if it made a difference?....i'll test the water again tmrw to see if it has changed
 
Anything Karbonate or bi-carbonate, But you should really read up on buffering capacity and base-creating vs. Acid-creating reactions. Driftwood probably isn't the (direct) reason your PH is shifting like that, though it could be precipitating some solids resulting in a reduced buffering capacity or KH (Karbonate Hardness). I learned a hell of a lot about this from "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium" by diana Walstad. Even if you're not big on plants thats an awesome book
 
Looking at your stocklist tho in your sig makes me think though, why do you want to base-up you're aquarium? I wouldn't be too concerned about that (to the extent you're talking, not to the extremes) except for the PH swings, but there are different ways to get around that (Mixing, leaving water out, etc)
 
i just thought it would be less stress for my fish at water change if the PH stays stable rather then jumping around.
I left some tap water in a glass for 24 hrs then tested the ph and it was still the same as when it comes straight out of the tap.
what else could i do to keep the ph the same level?
 
how big are your water changes? Can you modify your water change regimen to create a less drastic shift?
 
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