Lowered ph with peat moss

[CichlidDan]

I couldnt really find any solid info on lowering ph with peat moss so I have been doing a little experimenting. I would like to have lower ph to make my cichla happier. I decided to see what would happen by just filtering water through peat moss and I was very surprised with the results. Although I will need to create a better way of doing this maybe using sphagnum peat moss or something... My water had its ph lowered from around 7.6 to just above 6.0. Now I have a question as I am not very informed as to how and what the buffering capacity of water is so I was wondering if the change to 6.0 is only temporary and if the water's hardness would bring it back to the original ph. Up until now I have been going with a ph that is always around 7.6 and haven't tried lowering yet. Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated as it still confuses me.

 

[Bderick67]

The biggest problem is when it comes to water changes. Are you planning to "condition" the water to lwer the pH before you add it to tour tank?

Also you need to pay attention to your carbonate hardness(kH) also known as alkalinity. If this is low your pH is very unstable and can have large swings, v=which is not good for the fish.

 

[CichlidDan]

Yes I was hoping to make some type of system to filter new water through, so I think I may be getting it, low alkalinity is what can allow crashes in ph right? On our daily water report alkalinity is listed always about 117 mg/l but I am unsure how to convert it to kh. So lowering the gh won't cause a crash in the ph? I will go get a hardness testing kit so I can better learn this i guess but any help is appreciated.

 

[Bderick67]

Yes I was hoping to make some type of system to filter new water through, so I think I may be getting it, low alkalinity is what can allow crashes in ph right? On our daily water report alkalinity is listed always about 117 mg/l but I am unsure how to convert it to kh. So lowering the gh won't cause a crash in the ph? I will go get a hardness testing kit so I can better learn this i guess but any help is appreciated.

Kh is just an abbreviation for carbonate hardness(alkalinity) like gh is for general hardness.

at 117 mg/l your pH will be stable, if the kh gets below about 70, then you should be concerned. Lowering the gh of your water will require removing the calcium and magnesium the result is a lower pH. By adding the peat you are releasing acidic tannis which are counter acting with minerals and lowering your pH.

 

[Venom SS]

If all else fails you can always go with a nice piece of drift wood. It works well for lowering PH.

 

[Venom SS]

That does bring up a question for me, how can you get the Kh higher? All my water parameters are pretty good with the exception of the Kh. It is very low, and stays that way most of the time. I use spring water for all my water needs currently.

 

[uncwnells]

Large swings in pH are very hard on fish, whether you do it with peat moss or alkalinity causes it to swing, just be careful when you are lowering it yourself to do it gradually.

 

[Bderick67]

That does bring up a question for me, how can you get the Kh higher? All my water parameters are pretty good with the exception of the Kh. It is very low, and stays that way most of the time. I use spring water for all my water needs currently.

I use crushed coral and seachems neutral reg to boost the kH in my 180g tank.

 

[Venom SS]

I use crushed coral and seachems neutral reg to boost the kH in my 180g tank.

I usually use a little crushed coral in my gravel bed, but I am a little hesitant to add it right now, being that I have some expensive little guys being shipped to me in the middle of next week. I dont want to freak the water out too much before they get here...or after they get here for that matter. Think it would hurt to add some now?

 

[Bderick67]

I usually use a little crushed coral in my gravel bed, but I am a little hesitant to add it right now, being that I have some expensive little guys being shipped to me in the middle of next week. I dont want to freak the water out too much before they get here...or after they get here for that matter. Think it would hurt to add some now?

put the coral into a mess bag and put it into your filter, much easier to regulate this way.