Pegasus Posted March 6, 2005 Report Share Posted March 6, 2005 Warren said: What's wrong with chemicals? After all, adding logs, gravel, peat or whatever you use to modify the pH adds chemicals to the water anyway. It's just a little more gradual... If you devise a method for adding the correct chemicals at regular intervals there's absolutely no reason not to use them. I use Sodium bicarbonate, Calcium Chloride, Magnesium sulphate and Potassium sulphate to raise pH and raise general hardness. I use Sulphuric acid to lower pH. What's wrong with chemicals..? As above Warren.. Four chemicals to raise it... and one very lethal package to lower it. Cost.... Frequency of use... Fatal to the fish if used incorrectly... Fatal to humans (Sulphuric acid )... and HIGHLY DANGEROUS if used in the incorrect manner. One bag of Peat Moss would dose a tank for twelve months for under ten bucks. One bag of Shell Grit would dose a tank for at least six months, for arond six bucks. No danger... no poisons that the kids can get into... just a slow.. safe... controlled reaction that can be monitored by any Aquarist without a degree in Chemistry Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 7, 2005 Report Share Posted March 7, 2005 Ok, 4 bottles of chemicals for $60, lasted over 10 years so far. At present I'm at $6 per year and only about 3/4 of the way through... At that rate it will end up costing me about $4.00 per year. Much cheaper in the long run to use chemicals... Don't have kids and I obviously know what I'm doing as my fish don't die either. As previously stated, if you know what you're doing chemicals are safe... It's like anything, if you don't know what you're doing, best not do it - common sense really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vjarn Posted March 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 ok ok. forget everything i said about phosphates and bicarbonates. so,.... what is peat moss? and if anyone could tell me how much they are in the garden centre? and what i should say when going to buy it? also how does it work? how much do i need and what are the specifics like how much will it lower my pH? and do i need to do more water changes? and does it run out? and how much do i need? and where bouts in my 3stage external filter do i put it? and does it ever lower pH too far for discus? will i need to clean it? and can you buy it at mitre 10 cause thats the only garden centre i know off :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted March 8, 2005 Report Share Posted March 8, 2005 what is peat moss? It's peat. Which is basically the accumulation of plant matter you get in a bog. and if anyone could tell me how much they are in the garden centre? SOmething like $10 for a 10 lb bag. and what i should say when going to buy it? "Where's the peat?" should do. Or just go find it yourself, it'll be with the rest of the bags of soil. also how does it work? Not sure on the exact process, but it adds tannins and other organic acids that lower the PH. how much do i need and what are the specifics like how much will it lower my pH? Depends on the peat and the size of your tank, the flow you have going through it, etc. Generally a couple handfulls are needed and the amount it lowers your PH depends on a lot. Just adjust the amount through trial and error, if your PH has settled higher than you want it, add more to the filter. and where bouts in my 3stage external filter do i put it? Doesn't really matter, In the last container with some filter wool to catch any fine particles coming off it should be fine. If there's enough room. In the last two if you need more room. and does it ever lower pH too far for discus? Hmm, in theory it can, but even if you put heaps in your filter it's not going to drop the PH that quickly even if it does go down to 5 that the discus won't probably be able to adjust. will i need to clean it? No, once it's dirty and exhausted throw it away and replace it. and can you buy it at mitre 10 cause thats the only garden centre i know of Should be able to. If they have bags of dirt, they should have bags of peat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Do you have a Palmers Garden Center? If so, they'll have it too. Peat can lower the pH too far. You'll learn how long to leave it in for. You'll find the water changes to a certain colour (golden brown). After a certain amount of time the pH will be about right and the water a certain colour. Provided your water supply doesn't change it's chemical composition much you'll be able to associate the colour of the water with the pH and take the peat out or add it depending on the colour. A pH test kit will give you a more accurate result but you'll learn to get pretty close just by the colour... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vjarn Posted March 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 will changing the water to a golden brown be alright? will i need to wrap it in a stocking? by the sound of things it looks to be soil or mulch or just bark??? will it effect my discus from breeding if the water isnt crystal clear like it is now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 10, 2005 Report Share Posted March 10, 2005 Yes, wrap it in a stocking, it's commonly done. The brown water is quite normal in the fishes natural environment. In some area's of the Amazon river the water is known as 'Black Water' it is that dark. It also has a very low pH (around 5-5.4 from memory). The fish won't care and may even find it better for breeding as they are often more settled in dim light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vjarn Posted March 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2005 sorry for all the questions but what about my plants? will it effect their growth? i have some swords and mini mondo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 11, 2005 Report Share Posted March 11, 2005 The colouration in the water will reduce the light. As long as the colour doesn't get too dark all will be ok. You may notice a slight drop in grow rate... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vjarn Posted March 14, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 went to buy peat today and found they only sell in the big $20 bags, but also saw "yates aditone" what do you guys think about using that instead???? oh and where do you buy sulphuric acid from?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted March 15, 2005 Report Share Posted March 15, 2005 Don't know the yates product... Aquarium Phamaceuticals "pH Down" is sulphuric acid. It's strong enough for the job. Unless you have 1000's of litres to treat I'd go with it. It tells you the dose rate... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramuk Posted May 3, 2005 Report Share Posted May 3, 2005 I have successfully added HCl to permanantly lower the pH. I got it from a pool store (in the US). It does take a while to stabilize (so you need to do it outside the aquarium) I reduced mine to about 5.5 (to breed neon tetras) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted May 3, 2005 Report Share Posted May 3, 2005 Hi Back North in the UK (yeh, WAY back north), most Discus dudes would use RO water and the relevant pH6.5 buffer for their precious babies. Expensive (although RO off the internet is cheap) but the best way. They used to say it made them far more likely to breed too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.