Tillie Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 Hi guys, stuck on something and second guessing it because what's I've been doing doesn't seem to be working. My tank is on 7.2 and I want to bring it to 6.8. Now, do I use PH up to bring it "up" the chart to 6.8, or do I use PH down to bring it down to 6.8 numbers sequence-wise? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookie Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 before you start messing with ph .what fish are you wanting to keep? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tillie Posted January 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 sure it needed to be. The fish I have require softer water at around pH 6.8. The answer to my question as already been answered external to this site, thanks anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianab Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 pH will tend to drift down over time anyway. 7.2 is so close to neutral that I wouldn't bother playing with it unless you are trying to breed fish that want certain conditions. Playing with pH by adding random chemicals is a pretty easy way to kill off your fish If you do want the pH lower (assuming you are keeping species that prefer acid water) then adding some driftwood or peat moss to the tank will encourage the pH to fall in a slower and more natural way. Cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 Don't use that pH Up or Down stuff! Better to do it naturally although I doubt your pH will be a problem at 7.2. Remember, just cos the books say a fish needs 6.8, doen't mean it won't be just as happy breeding at 7.2 in captivity as it may never have experienced 6.8 in it's life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 I think pH down is phosphoric acid and may cause algae problems. It will not reduce the hardness. The easiest way to get soft acid water is to collect rainwater and boil some peat in it if you want it more acid. This is what I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemines Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 pH up is sodium hydroxide...drain cleaner...and no matter how diluted i still wouldn't put that in my tank. 7.2 should be fine, pH really doesn't worry the majority of fish, provided that extremes are avoided. a high pH can, however, be more dangerous as ammonia will be in a toxic form, whereas at a pH lower than 7 more ammonium is present, which is not as toxic and makes a great plant fertilizer. so, for a higher pH just make sure your filtration is adequate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 I learned here long ago that a stable pH is better then one that fluctuates. However, I do have a question does the pH that the fishies come from (other than those bred in tanks) such as rivers and such, is the pH in those bodies of water different from one to the next??? Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 nemines--- Sodium hydroxide is drain cleaner but it is also added to water supplies by providers when the pH is low to avoid corrosion of copper and brass. It produces hydroxyl ions which combine with the hydrogen ions to form water and the sodium ions remaining are as toxic as common salt. Like many things, toxicity is related to concentration. Caper---- Fish come from all over the world and therefore from various water conditions but many can be adjusted over time to live and breed in conditions quite different from those they originated from. They vary from soft acid to hard alkaline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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