Well I have my background in the tank with water and i added salt for a few days changed water a few times but my ph is off the charts my test kit cant even read it. What can i do to lower the ph? Its well past 7.6
PH is off the chart with background
- Thread starter PMK
- Start date
PMK;787251; said:
I used spray foam as a base then used the water tight quickrete to cover everything.
Driftwood can sometimes help lower Ph. Depending how big your background is and how much wood you put into your tank, it might help...
Wood is adequate for lowering, but it will take its time. You can add blck water extract, that will help also.
But beyond that ( and i don't know your water ) what you will need is some sort of hardness reduction, because if hardness is kept high ( and i am suspicious of your concrete ) the ph will simply come up again.
imo, a natural way of achieving a ph and hardness reduction, and keeping it there, is adding a good amount of peat to the tank, and keep it there for a while...
But beyond that ( and i don't know your water ) what you will need is some sort of hardness reduction, because if hardness is kept high ( and i am suspicious of your concrete ) the ph will simply come up again.
imo, a natural way of achieving a ph and hardness reduction, and keeping it there, is adding a good amount of peat to the tank, and keep it there for a while...
Is it really necessary to change the pH? Mine runs about 8 and I haven't really had any fish that don't survive in it...
Isis_Nebthet;787529; said:
If what he has are Malawis, no problem. If it is tanganicans, 8 is low..
Central americans cichlids should be doable, ok, with a good adaptation...
if we're talking about acidic, soft water fish ( south american and african and asian rivers ) it is not a good environment for the fish.,..of course they can survive in it, if they're used to. but imo it is not qan adequate thing to do.
I've had south americans in ph of 4..would not have them in ph of 8.
the above is just my 2 cents...
There are no fish in there until the water levels are maintanable. This is for central and south american cichlids it also a 75 gallon tank
I suspect that the cement will leach for weeks. I've read that you just have to soak it until it cures and the leaching stops. I don't think the residue coming from it would be good for fish, regardless of where they come from. Good luck with it.
concrete needs to cure in water before you can put it in a fish tank. it will throw your PH waaay off. the best way is to keep it submerged and do frequent water changes until the ph stabilizes.