Lower PH

Griparn · Post by **Griparn** » 02 Sep 2004, 11:21

What methods do you use to lower the PH in the tank?

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 02 Sep 2004, 11:44

Hi!

Well you can do so with R/O waters, peat , alder fruits, oak leaves....they are also some resin product that help in that direction...

Cheers
Yann

Griparn · Post by **Griparn** » 02 Sep 2004, 12:02

Thanks for your fast reply.

I will read more about R/O water because I dont really know what that is. I have also heard that bogwood(?) may decrease the PH.

Post by **Barbie** » 02 Sep 2004, 14:44

Changing the pH shouldn't be attempted in the main tank though, IMO, unless the fish you're going to keep aren't in there yet. A pretreatment container that you can stabilize water in is definitely advisable.

Hard water usually has a buffering capacity that makes the pH jump around for a day or two before it stabilizes when you add acids to lower the pH. An RO unit removes most of that hardness, to allow manipulation of the pH more easily.

Barbie

Pandadosmares · Post by **Pandadosmares** » 03 Sep 2004, 18:05

It was mentioned

some resin product

, can someone be more explicit

Thanks

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 04 Sep 2004, 17:27

Hi!

It is a filtering material, very small yellow balls, they are not hard but rather soft, it seems that it remove things out of the water...until it is totally saturated... had a friend who use it and had good success with it...
personnally I ain't much fond of chemical product in a tank...

Cheers
Yann

zac08 · Post by **zac08** » 04 Sep 2004, 19:54

Griparn wrote:What methods do you use to lower the PH in the tank?

In Singapore, we use Indian Almond leaves and also the Tetra Blackwater, both helps with a darker water colouration and a slightly lowered pH value.

As for buffering and more serious lowering, I guess the store bought chemicals should do the trick. Just slowly lower it.... dun go above changes of 1 pH value each time....

WhitePine · Post by **WhitePine** » 05 Sep 2004, 01:33

Co2 injection and a controller is a great way to have stable ph... Add more light and any plants will take off.

Mike_Noren · Post by **Mike_Noren** » 05 Sep 2004, 23:21

Griparn: as you're in Sweden, you have a number of alternatives to lower pH:

1) If your water is soft, then you can usepeat (from a plant nursery; make sure it's unfertilized) or, better still, alder cones ("alkottar"). One alder cone per liter is usually sufficient. There is also ready-made extract of peat and oak you can purchase and use to lower pH (but avoid Tetra's Torumin - it doesn't do anything for pH, all it does is color the water yellow).
CO2 injection is another good way of lowering the pH of soft water, but personally I feel it's too complicated.

2) If you've got hard water, then the above will be insufficient. You'll then have to use an acid to drop pH; phosphoric acid would be the acid of choice here. However, a much better solution is to use an RO unit to get soft water, then use one of the methods outlined under 1).

Personally I use distilled water and add phosphate buffer to buffer the pH to 5.8.

Lower PH

Lower PH

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