BikBok Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 haven't added fish yet to new tank but took some water into petshop to be tested as my kit at home only measures to pH 7.4 As I suspected it was higher.. 7.8 They sold me some "pH down" - 1000g/kg Sodium Phosphate-Monobasic. The instructions say: "Add a sufficient quantity of pH Down to aquarium water to achieve a neutral or desired reading." But what is a sufficient quantity?? where do i start , a teaspoon ?, 1/2 teaspoon ? .. 34L tank. I know to bring it down gradually but need some sort of starting point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 34 L tank and pH down? don't use it.. ask for your money back. just do water changes and your oh will gradually stabilise. 7.8 is not a bad pH, but if you desire it lower, try using peat instead... also available from pet shops.. for about $2 - $3 max. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 As suggested don't use that. The phosphate will encourage algae as well. Most fish will tolerate a range of water conditions including temperature, hardness and pH if the changes are gradual. Once you start chasing the pH you will be running after it forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 I third that opinion! :bounce: Much better to: a) find out why your pH is 7.8 in the first place (does it come out of the tap that way? Or is there something in your tank causing it?) Then... b) fix it with slow, long-term changes or... c) choose fish that are happy with the pH the way it is. Either way, return the pH down to the shop you got it from. If they don't want to give you a refund ask for a store credit for the same value - you will have no problem spending it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 I fourth that opinion! When I started out with my 34L tank, upon the advice of the LFS I used a pH stabiliser. I was forever having problems, fish dying, masses of algae. Then on the advice of the wise people here, I quit using the pH stuff and problems disappeared. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted May 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 I third that opinion! :bounce: Much better to: a) find out why your pH is 7.8 in the first place (does it come out of the tap that way? Or is there something in your tank causing it?) Then... b) fix it with slow, long-term changes or... c) choose fish that are happy with the pH the way it is. What a steep learning curve , but I appreciate all the replies. My tap water is close to pH 7.8 but the guppies I want to buy are currently in a 7.0 tank .. so i wanted to get the PH down in my own tank first before adding them. I don't have live plants yet but will be adding somrthing small soon and was also told that driftwood can help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RochelleMay Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Yeha do not use pH down, once you start you can;t stop or it will go up again its and on going thing that you don'tneed. Maybe you could also add some drift wood I know that lowers the pH, and you could get GBA to go with your guppies. And they love driftwood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 your fish will adjust to it & be fine. I have had both ends of the spectrum, high Ph for south american community fish from the town supply water, i then changed to africans which suited the higher ph & now i live in the country & am on tank water which has a ph of 7.0. my africans have not changed in any way, colour, behaviour & come to think of it have possibly even bred more in a "not ideal" ph. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyzoo Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 If you start using the pH down you will need to add every day....if you are worried about introducing the fish then add some of your water from the tank into the fish bag over a period of 30 minutes or so while you are acclimatising the fish to the tank temp. When starting up a new tank the pH is the least of your worries. Also pH in a tank changes naturally throughout the day when fish are in it anyway, due to organic waste, oxygen levels, photosynthesis from the plants etc. Also driftwood/bogwood will naturally lower your pH over time too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 What a steep learning curve , but I appreciate all the replies. My tap water is close to pH 7.8 but the guppies I want to buy are currently in a 7.0 tank .. so i wanted to get the PH down in my own tank first before adding them. I don't have live plants yet but will be adding somrthing small soon and was also told that driftwood can help. Yep, learning is what it's all about! :bounce: It's really good that you're getting all this kind of stuff sorted first and not rushing in to adding the fish. The most stressful thing for fish is sudden changes in pH, so avoid pH swings like the plague (or like the swine flu...). I would suggest adding some driftwood and the plants, let it all sit for a few days and test again. You may be surprised how much of a difference the wood makes (depending on its type, age, condition, etc.) If it turns the water slightly yellowish, that's great. All part of the good woodness it adds to the water. If after a while of the wood in there you are still determined to lower the pH, try some peat in a mesh bag (or stocking) added to your filter. This has the same effect as adding driftwood only more so, due to the larger surface area etc (peat is basically wood that's breaking down). You can get peat from the same pet store where you got the "pH Down." Adding peat will give you much more stable results than adding pH Down because the water will just leach out the amount it needs at a steady rate, rather than you having to measure and add chemicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caper Posted May 2, 2009 Report Share Posted May 2, 2009 A stable pH is better for the fishies than one that is constantly changing. Caper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron11 Posted May 3, 2009 Report Share Posted May 3, 2009 if your gonna get gupppies remember they breed profusely i have like 100 babies at the moment !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted May 4, 2009 Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 if your gonna get gupppies remember they breed profusely i have like 100 babies at the moment !!!! which is why they are popular feeder fish, there are always bigger fish that can be costly to feed so owners of large fish will happily take excess fish of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted May 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2009 hehe, i know about the guppies breeding habbits.. I don't mind if they become live food. Now I have a piece of driftwood and will add it to the tank soon, have started another thread about this because I'm not sure if any preparation needs to be done first. I got a reply from our local council who have confirmed our tap water has pH of around 8 or more so I definitely want to try and keep it lower, hopefully the driftwood will help. Does it lower it by much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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