Lowering pH

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

Eveready

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Oct 4, 2009
26
0
31
68
Joplin,MO
I have read about using chemicals, peat and driftwood to bring pH down.
I have a big piece of driftwood but it hasn't made a difference.
My pH is at 7.9 and I would rather get it down to around 7.2 to 7.4, I know to do this very slowly.
My real questions are :
How to add peat, can I just put some peat moss in my filter ?
Can I add baking soda to the water to bring it down ?
I have a 20 gallon tall tank and I think the water is hard, the GH stays at 140 ppm and the KH stays at 110 ppm.
But my pH started at 7.6 which wasn't as bad, but it went to 7.8 after a month and then to 7.9 the following week, where it satys.
In case it matters, my NO2 stays at 0.1 and my ammonia has alwys been 0.
 
pH isn't really as important as total dissolved solids (TDS). If your pH is rising, something must be leeching into the water from your decorations. Do you have any rocks that would leach calcium (Holey rock, etc)?
 
Eveready;3755249; said:
I have read about using chemicals, peat and driftwood to bring pH down.
I have a big piece of driftwood but it hasn't made a difference.
My pH is at 7.9 and I would rather get it down to around 7.2 to 7.4, I know to do this very slowly.
My real questions are :
How to add peat, can I just put some peat moss in my filter ?
Can I add baking soda to the water to bring it down ?
I have a 20 gallon tall tank and I think the water is hard, the GH stays at 140 ppm and the KH stays at 110 ppm.
But my pH started at 7.6 which wasn't as bad, but it went to 7.8 after a month and then to 7.9 the following week, where it satys.
In case it matters, my NO2 stays at 0.1 and my ammonia has alwys been 0.
Click to expand...

baking soda is a buffer and will INCREASE the pH of the tank.
 
^^^ I agree. There really isn't much of a ned to be concrned with pH unlss your trying to breed your fish. If you want to lower your pH, your gonna hav to pretreat the water, with somthing like a deionizer or reverse osmosis. Then mix some of that watr with you tap water, and you will lower your Buffering capacity.
Using Peat in the filter will work, but every time you do a water change you will hav a pH spike.
Better to leave things alone.
 
I am trying to learn without killing my fish.
I appreciate all the input and of course I will leave it alone.
I was just concerned that it would be bad for my angels.
I am so glad that I found MFK, I belong to several woodworking groups and a lot of the people there seem offended when you ask a simple question.
 
if its stable jsut leave it. be careful when adding new fish not to shock them. fish will adaptm jsut fine. its the fluctuations that will stress them out.
 
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