Hello the ph of my water is 8.0-8.2 and i was wondering what is a safe way to lower ph to around 6.8? Any suggestions or comments would be great thanks
Adding reverse osmosis water. It may not be readily available for most people though. I have it since my water cooler uses large 5 gallon jugs and they are filled with water treated by RO units.
Also, many bottled waters vary from oneanother. Some are hard, soft, more alkaline, acidic, etc... It depends really so maybe bottled water isn't the best option - unless you use your water test kit and find a brand which suits your tank best.
Thing is, your standard source of water (your tap, I assume), set your pH at 8.0 - 8.2 by default since that is the pH of your source. This means that, whatever you do to lower it now, you will have to do every week, with EVERY water change. Your fish will need to endure this pH fluctuation often (depending on how often you change your water), which is not good for them.
ok my tap water is high because i used hard water, from a well. I dont want to constantly keep adding chemicals to the water but i just want my ph to be like 6.8 because all the fish i want thrive in that ph. the fish i am interested in are: angels, balas dwarf gouramis, zebra danios, rummy nose tetra and clown loaches. so i just thought it would be better for my fish, but i am not sure if they will live for a long time and not be stressed in waters with ph of 8.0.
Thing is, your standard source of water (your tap, I assume), set your pH at 8.0 - 8.2 by default since that is the pH of your source. This means that, whatever you do to lower it now, you will have to do every week, with EVERY water change. Your fish will need to endure this pH fluctuation often (depending on how often you change your water), which is not good for them.
Lowering/increasing Ph can be done but it requires a lot of very careful monitoring. You can reduce fluctuations by monitoring very carefully and always adding whateer you're adding whenever it increases again, but fluctuations will still happen and that's very bad for fish. Generally the best idea is to find fish that like the water parameters as they are, as I found out the hard way when I lost a molly due to my water being far too soft for her.
The only way you could stop this is by using bottled water but like Kate said you'd have to test loads of different brands to find out their Ph value. I don't know but I'm not sure all bottles of Evian for example would be exactly the same either. There are added vitamins and minerals in bottles water - you'd have to check out how they would affect your fish as well. I remember a post here one time advising against bottles water for tanks because of the added vitamins and minerals being bad for the fish.
ok so if i dont add chemicals, and i keep my ph the same will the fish i want live good in that kind of ph? I know that freshwater fish that like high ph are chiclids but i dont want chichlids, i want a tank that is based around angels. so do you think they would lead a good life in waters with a ph of 8.0?
I'm not saying that to be picky, I'm just saying it because I don't know what your reasons for not wanting cichlids are. A lot of people don't like them because they're nippy or agressive, so just letting you know...
i just dont want chichlids because i have a planted tank and i like other fish other than chichlids, and yes i know that angels are chichlids, but i was hoping to breed the angels but alot of sites say that they like water around 6.8 not lik8.0-8.2
For breeding, yes they require a low pH. You COULD start a second, smaller tank and use that as a breeding tank. At least with the smaller one you could manage it easily, efficiently, and safely. Plus, any fluctuations won't hurt any fish because it will be empty most of the time.
PS
Secondary tanks are usually used when breeding anyways, as this also could act as an initiation tank for fry.
This is mainly for wild caught angels. As a species they do prefer soft acidic water but if you find some that have been locally bred they will be acclimatised and much more adaptable.
ok so yes you have a good point, i could get a smaller aquarium, but i just have a few last questions: will these fish be ok in my aquarium with high ph? angels, bala sharks, clown loaches, dwarf gouramis, rummy nose tetras, zebra danios, and some platies?
Don't know with firsthand experience, but here's what I do know from my trusty Tropical fish book right here. Let's see. . .
Angels: Most likely.
Bala Sharks: Prefer up to 7.8, so I'm sure they will thrive in 8.0
Clown Loaches: Generally prefer soft water. Not sure they'll be too happy in 8+
D.Gourami: Prefer softer water, up to 7.5. Should be ok in 8.0. My friend's tank was 8.5 and they were fine for an extended period of time.
R.Nose Tetras: If you plan on breeding them, they REQUIRE soft water, since high levels of calcium ions induce sterility in this fish. They can tolerate up to 7.5, so they may be ok in 8.0.
Z.Danios: Prefer soft to neutral pH. You may be pushing it with 8+.
Platies: Will be fine in 8.0
Disclaimer: This is third-party info, so I'm not responsible if any go belly-up.
Platties will do very well in this type of water. All livebearers prefer this type of water, especially mollies and guppies. The others prefer lower Ph values but can adapt. Again, if you go with locally bred fish, you are much less likely to have any problems.
If you are looking for other suggestions for your water then most rainbow fish (not threadfin althoguh again, they will probably be adaptable) do well in harder more alkaline water. Kissing gourami, paradise fish, pearl gouramis and blue gouramis also will do well that I can think of just now.
thanks this has been alot of help and i am sure my fish will do well thanks for your time and help if anyone has any more suggestions or comments feel free to post
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Tropical Fish Keeping
597.8K posts
83.7K members
Since 2006
forum community dedicated to tropical fish owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about species,breeding, health, behavior, aquariums, adopting, care, classifieds, and more! Open to fish, plants and reptiles living in freshwater or saltwater environments.