KiwiGal77 Posted January 18, 2015 Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 My pH seems to be sitting around the 7.2-7.4 mark and I would prefer it sat just under 7 for the fish I'm wanting, who prefer slightly acidic to neutral. So how do I go about lowering the pH, and maintaining it there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanityChelle Posted January 18, 2015 Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 Adding driftwood helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 18, 2015 Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 My pH seems to be sitting around the 7.2-7.4 mark and I would prefer it sat just under 7 for the fish I'm wanting, who prefer slightly acidic to neutral. So how do I go about lowering the pH, and maintaining it there? That's close enough, stable is better, you'll likely just end up doing more damage causing fluctuating PH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiGal77 Posted January 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 There is a piece of driftwood in there, guessing it may take a while to have an effect on the pH? One species I'm looking into really needs acidic water, apparently even 7/neutral is a push. So for that particular one it could be important I get the pH to max 7, preferably a little less. But I understand what you're saying about stability. So is there a way to permanently help lower the pH, without causing instability issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 18, 2015 Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 There is a piece of driftwood in there, guessing it may take a while to have an effect on the pH? One species I'm looking into really needs acidic water, apparently even 7/neutral is a push. So for that particular one it could be important I get the pH to max 7, preferably a little less. But I understand what you're saying about stability. So is there a way to permanently help lower the pH, without causing instability issues? Permanently? No. You could get a CO2 tank and a PH controller to control the PH, that will keep it stable and at the right PH, but is expensive. Otherwise filling up your filters with peat will do it, but that's not permanent, you'll have to replace the peat occasionally and it will turn your water brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiGal77 Posted January 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2015 Thanks, will check out the peat, have been reading about the use in filters. Staining the water a bit might not be an issue, again the types of fish I'm looking at apparently like slight stained water anyway. By permanent I just meant an affordable, simple and preferably natural way to provide long-term lower pH consistency, not a one off-fix all forever solution Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 As tanks mature the pH tends to drop anyway, providing you have nothing like rock with lime in it. Driftwood helps lower pH and keeps it stable, as does peat in the filter. CO2 also lowers it but it a more expensive option and depending on the fish you keep they may not tolerate pH 24/7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanityChelle Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 What's the fish you're looking at getting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiGal77 Posted January 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 What's the fish you're looking at getting? Corys & Honey Gourami which apparently both prefer slightly acidic but are ok around neutral. Then possibly Mosquito Rasbora, which are the ones I'm most worried about as their recommended is below 6.5 and as low as 5. So was thinking if I could get it stable between 6.5 and 7 that should keep them all happy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted January 19, 2015 Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 6.5 - 7 sounds good however it may take some time to achieve stability that low. The one thing you don't want to do is use chemicals to drop it, they will cause swings which will weaken the fish. Dwarf gourami are pretty sensitive fish at the best of times so a stable pH among other things will be needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiGal77 Posted January 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2015 Ok, thanks. I was looking around the LFS the other day and saw there were chemicals for adjusting pH, but I generally prefer natural anyway so good to know I made the right decision not using them. I was thinking of getting the corys next weekend (if my ammonia etc levels are ok), then a 2-3 weeks after them the gourami, then a couple of weeks after them the schooling fish... since the first two are ok with higher pH I'll leave it for now, and see how it's sitting in a before I add the mosquito rasbora (if I end up with them). If it still needs adjusting I'll carefully give the peat a go. Thanks for your help everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted January 20, 2015 Report Share Posted January 20, 2015 Don't overload your tank to begin with let it settle in for a while before addign to many fish. Your readings need to be: Ammonia 0 Nitrites 0 Nitrates 0-20 Honestly leave your PH its not wirth the stress you cause the fish mucking around with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillnzcookie Posted January 24, 2015 Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 In my experience, fluctuating pH is FAR more harmful to fish than pH which is slightly above or below what's recommended. When I first set up my tank, I knew to test ammonia nitrite and nitrate, and couldn't understand why my fish were all getting sick and dying when the test results were all perfect. Once I figured out the pH was all over the place, I was able to stabilise it, and my fish started to thrive. So stable pH is really important, but I think it's also important to keep fish at a pH that suits them. If the fish you want prefer a pH<6.5, then I'd say 7.2-7.4 is a bit high for them to thrive. As others have said, driftwood is good to lower pH, and mature tanks often seem to have a lower pH than brand new ones too. So you may find that your pH is fine for the rasbora in about 6 months anyway. The one piece of advice I wish I had been given when I set up my first tank is to do it far more slowly than most people recommend. I know how impatient I was to get my tank 'finished' so even waiting a month between adding the first fish and the next ones was a stretch, but I now wish I had taken things more slowly - I lost several fish in the first 6 months, because I wasn't experienced enough to know how to solve problems, and my tank wasn't mature enough to be stable. Driftwood will lower pH but it takes quite a long time. Some people recommend dead oak leaves to soften the water. I haven't tried this but, if it works, it is much more environmentally sustainable than using peat. I would strongly recommend NOT using products to alter pH - we tried several without success, and I think they contributed to several fish deaths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiGal77 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Thanks everyone Just tested my tap water and that's reading at 7.4, which explains the alkaline pH. I would still like to get it to about 7 for the type of fish I'm wanting, so thinking I'll go with the natural & slow approach of adding a couple of Almond Leaf Teabags into my filter (don't know if I want a huge leaf taking up half the bottom of my tank lol). I do small water changes twice a week, so that should minimise fluctuations. The tank has now been set up and had two Platys in for about a month, and I'm finally getting readings indicating my tank is cycling ok Have just swapped over to real plants, so that should help too. Will be off to get the next 3 fish next week. Yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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