High PH

[schizo_fish]

I have quite a high PH ( approx. 7.6 - 7.8 ) is there any way of lowering the PH to around 7?
I know that there are products out there that claim to be able to do this, but i also know that they can cause severe fluctuations that will kill fish.
does any one know how i can accomplish this?

 

[yhbae]

Instead of looking into lowering the pH, you should look into which fishes are suitable for that level of pH. For you info though, 7.6 isn't very high. Most fishes will be able to adopt to that pH without much issues.

Which fishes do you have in mind?

 

[The-Wolf]

just from reading this forum
apparently you can put peat in your filter to lower ph
also bogwood will, in time keep, it stable.

If this is wrong then my memory isn't what it used to be

 

[schizo_fish]

i was planning on having some form of tetra in my tank, but i know these prefer a PH of about 6.5, i was also hoping to get several Otto's but to my knowledge these prefer a lower PH aswell.

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

Co2 lowers pH from my understanding, i just bought a CO2 maker for my live plants and ive noticed my pH dropping a bit .. i cant give an exact number but when i 1st tested it was in teh range of 7.5 - 8.0 now its in the range of 7.0-7.5 (i use a pond test kit and it doesnt give exact readins just ranges)

 

[schizo_fish]

unfortunately a CO2 diffuser can be quite a costly option

 

[xXMrBonesXx]

tell me about it lol ... but i found a reasonable one .. 29.99 Canadian which i have no clue in other currency

 

[Bol]

Personally, I think that in most cases you can just disregard the "desired pH" (the main exceptions being some exotic fish and for breeding purposes).

The saying you'll hear a lot is "a stable pH is much more important than the 'proper' pH", and I have found that this is mostly true.

You should be able to have lots of tetras in your water. For what it's worth, I keep neon tetras, lemon tetras, and pristella tetras (along with otos) just fine, and my tap and tank water's pH has been 8.2 for the last four months (it was 7.9 before that).

Also, there's the fact that your local fish store probably uses the same tap water that you do, ... so chances are the fish that have been there a few weeks are already acclimated to those water conditions.

 

[yhbae]

I think most of the tetras will be fine in your water. If I remember correctly, Cardinals are one fothe lowest pH demanding fish, and my local LFS keeps them at 7.4 without any problem. My tap is about 7.4, and blue rams (another fish known to demand soft water) are doing fine.

As Bol mentioned, most fishes can handle much greater range of pH than what their native environment suggests.

Initially, I was trying to get my water from 7.4 to 6.8 but I gave up at some point. The fishes do fine with my regular tap water and you will appreciate the fact that you needn't worry about adding just the right amount of chemicals/peats each time you do water change.

As xXMrBonesXx mentioned, more CO2 in the water means lower pH. CO2 escapes out of water easily when you disturb the water. So if you can manage to setup your filter system with the least amount of water disturbance possible, you _might_ get a little lower pH overall.

The only pH adjustment I'd do is for african tanks, and it will be pH of 8.2 since this is super easy to achieve using baking soda. I will never try to change my water chemistry otherwise...

 

[FishDan]

I agree, it's best to leave your pH alone. Except for cases mentioned above (exotic fish or breeding). If you buy your fish locally, they likely come from a similar pH as yours. Even so, or if you buy your fish online, spend more time acclimating them to your tank and you'll (and more importantly they'll) be just fine. My pH is even higher than yours, at about 8.2. None of my fish have any trouble and all are happy and healthy. I also subscribe to the stable pH being more important than the "proper" pH.

\Dan

 

[Tolak]

Hey Dan, you have city water? Mine is around 7.8.

Tolak

 

[schizo_fish]

would the use of bottled water reduce the PH?

 

[FishDan]

Hey Dan, you have city water? Mine is around 7.8.

Tolak

yeah, I have city water. Out of the tap my pH measures about 7.1. After 24 hours it shoots up to 8.2 or so. I age my water change water overnight before I do my water change to allow the pH to equalize and not shock my fish after my water change.

\Dan

 

[Bol]

would the use of bottled water reduce the PH?

Reverse osmosis or distilled water probably would lower it to a point. Any water will lower your tank's pH eventually, but no farther than the pH of the added water.

 

[kent]

high pH is also associated with dangerous amounts of ammonia... YOu might also want to check your ammonia levels since toxic form ammonia may contribute to an increased pH.