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How to safely lower ph in an aquarium

14K views 28 replies 4 participants last post by  MattD 
#1 ·
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
 
#14 ·
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.
 
#15 ·
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.
 
#16 ·
MattD said:
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.
I agree.

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.
 
#17 ·
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?
 
#21 ·
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.
 
#24 ·
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. ;)
 
#25 ·
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.

Hope that was of some help.
 
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