afireinside
A Shrine To Madness
I'm just wondering. Even if it would cost more money to make something, I'd rather have the materials on hand then having to go out and buy one. So, anyone know any good formulas for lowering the pH in your water?
Homemade Ph Reducers
- Thread starter afireinside
- Start date
Making your own would not be hard.
Most any strong acid will work well for your needs. HCl, (hydrochloric, muratic) would be one of the easiest, and would drop the pH fast and raise the salinity a little. You could aslo use phosphoric or nitric acid as well, these will add nutrients into your tank for phosphorus/nitrogen cycling as well. You would want to thin it down much and add it slowly as not to shift osmotic gradients in your tank really fast.
Also, if you have hard water to start with in the area you are from, I would consider treating water before putting it into your tank.
You can order this stuff from most chemical supply houses. Fisher, sigma-aldrich, VWR and Spectrum just to name a few of the biggies.
Most any strong acid will work well for your needs. HCl, (hydrochloric, muratic) would be one of the easiest, and would drop the pH fast and raise the salinity a little. You could aslo use phosphoric or nitric acid as well, these will add nutrients into your tank for phosphorus/nitrogen cycling as well. You would want to thin it down much and add it slowly as not to shift osmotic gradients in your tank really fast.
Also, if you have hard water to start with in the area you are from, I would consider treating water before putting it into your tank.
You can order this stuff from most chemical supply houses. Fisher, sigma-aldrich, VWR and Spectrum just to name a few of the biggies.
Xtech
Fish Fanatic
You could filter with peat, add bogwwod, or CO2.
OP
OP
afireinside
A Shrine To Madness
hydrochloric?
WOULDN'T THAT KILL UR FISH?!hydrochloric?
No,
Hydrochloric isn't toxic. You would want to dilute it a bunch. At a low dilution of HCl and a high pH you normally end up with extra salt in your tank.
Using natural methods to reduce pH work well too.
Dorkhedeos
Boss Major
i dont think i would put HCl in my tank. anything that will burn my skin isnt good for fish. lowering ph with CO2 will last until the CO2 goes away. i would go with peat
OP
OP
afireinside
A Shrine To Madness
what about indian almond leaf? I just remembered that they sell packets of it at my lfs for about $1.69
HCl will not burn your skin in low concentrations. Diluted enough it is actually very mild, and pretreating your water and testing for pH eleminates risk to fish. It is the same as adding salt to your tank while getting pH dropping benefits.
CO2 will work to a point. You are adding carbonic acid to your tank this way.
Peat is a good option, especially if your water source is hard.
CO2 will work to a point. You are adding carbonic acid to your tank this way.
Peat is a good option, especially if your water source is hard.
Dorkhedeos
Boss Major
only problem would be finding HCl and diluting it to a safe level. i doubt it will make much of a difference at this level though.
Dubby
His legend will never die
Lots of easily obtainable mild acids found around the house could be used - Lime juice, vinegar, etc.
OP
OP
afireinside
A Shrine To Madness
Will anyone answer? What about indian almond leaf?
I think the biggest issue is the 'homemade' part of the question. Yes, there are many things in the home that are acidic, mild, strong, etc. But, most everything in the home is impure enough that you cannot be sure what the impurities are and what the effects of those impurities will be.
For example, vinegar is mostly acetic acid (acetum is actually the Latin word for vinegar), a nice weak organic acid that may be perfect for this purpose. But there is no way I would use any of the vinegars from the grocery store. World purity laws stipulate that vinegar used in food products must be from a biological origin -- that is the vinegar is made from fermentation.
Anytime you have biological entities, there are going to be impurities. Think of the wide diversity of biological creates in our tanks! I am sure that there is much separation of the vinegar and other stuff, but only to a food-quality level. Not necessarily to a purity for use in a laboratory. While fishkeeping is not exactly the same as working in a laboratory, the scientist in me likes to know exactly what I am adding to the water. Ultimately, there are all kinds of vinegar, too, made from white and red wines, etc.
With all this uncertainty in most household items, a trip to a chemical supply store may be much more accurate and safe. They will list the percentages and impurities on each bottle when you purchase them. And then, it may just be cheaper to purchase the products at the LFS (it may not, too, LFSs will mark some products up a very high percentage).
For example, vinegar is mostly acetic acid (acetum is actually the Latin word for vinegar), a nice weak organic acid that may be perfect for this purpose. But there is no way I would use any of the vinegars from the grocery store. World purity laws stipulate that vinegar used in food products must be from a biological origin -- that is the vinegar is made from fermentation.
Anytime you have biological entities, there are going to be impurities. Think of the wide diversity of biological creates in our tanks! I am sure that there is much separation of the vinegar and other stuff, but only to a food-quality level. Not necessarily to a purity for use in a laboratory. While fishkeeping is not exactly the same as working in a laboratory, the scientist in me likes to know exactly what I am adding to the water. Ultimately, there are all kinds of vinegar, too, made from white and red wines, etc.
With all this uncertainty in most household items, a trip to a chemical supply store may be much more accurate and safe. They will list the percentages and impurities on each bottle when you purchase them. And then, it may just be cheaper to purchase the products at the LFS (it may not, too, LFSs will mark some products up a very high percentage).
pica_nuttalli
don't be a twit
i'd go with keeping a supply of peat on hand. the problem (i think) with adding a liquid form acidic source is that it would drop the pH very quickly. if you weren't careful, you could easily cause your fish to go into pH shock.
i'd suggest adding peat or bogwood because the tannic acids would be forced to diffuse out of the solid, which would take time. a delayed release would help your fish in adjusting to the new pH level.
why do you want to muck around with your pH anyways?
i'd suggest adding peat or bogwood because the tannic acids would be forced to diffuse out of the solid, which would take time. a delayed release would help your fish in adjusting to the new pH level.
why do you want to muck around with your pH anyways?
OP
OP
afireinside
A Shrine To Madness
Let's see, is it because the pH in my tap water shot up around 9?!
Griz
Fish Herder
I have no personal experience with it but it is talked about quite a bit on another forum that specializes in Apistogramma. it is often used by breeders. It works basically the same as oak and beech leaves or peat but is apparently more effective. They can be pretty pricey however.
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