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Trouble with my pH....

2K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  It'sJames 
#1 ·
What is the best way to lower pH in a freshwater aquarium? The pH in my 28 gallon is really high, about 8.3, and I'm hoping to get it down to about 7.5-7.7 I know there are several chemicals you can buy, but I've heard that they don't always keep the pH down for much longer than a day or two. Has anyone ever used one of them and had good results with it??[/img]
 
#2 ·
What fish are you keeping?
Have you tested the pH of your tap water?
Have a picture of your tank set up?
Do you have any shells in the tank?

Lowering pH is harder than raising it, but you have a couple options. Filtering through peat moss is one of the best and easiest ways in my opinion. Also the addition of bog/drift wood, and/or a CO2 unit can lower pH.

But lets see if we can get to the root of the problem first, or if it is even necessary to try and change.
 
#3 ·
I think if you could answer Mike's questions we could help a bit more. For lowering it, I think adding bodwood/driftwood is the easiest way to go. Stay away from chemicals as they lead to instabilities which can be very harmful to the fish and can kill them.
 
#4 ·
It's on it's way to being a moderatly - heavily planted tank, and I'm currently keeping 2 platys & 2 corys. I plan to keep an angel, a small school or cardinals, and a few corys, and I'll move out the platys. PH of the tap water is about 8.3, and we have very soft water. No, I don't have any shells. Several people have told me that's it's not really a big deal, as long as the fish are doing okay. So fay they are, and the platys are even spawning. I know that an unstable pH is worse that a high pH, so I'm still not quite sure what to do. Here's the pic of the aquarium.

 
#5 ·
It'sJames said:
It's on it's way to being a moderatly - heavily planted tank, and I'm currently keeping 2 platys & 2 corys. I plan to keep an angel, a small school or cardinals, and a few corys, and I'll move out the platys. PH of the tap water is about 8.3, and we have very soft water. No, I don't have any shells. Several people have told me that's it's not really a big deal, as long as the fish are doing okay. So fay they are, and the platys are even spawning. I know that an unstable pH is worse that a high pH, so I'm still not quite sure what to do. Here's the pic of the aquarium.

Use peat moss or almond leaves to lower the pH. Be very careful as pH crash may result with very soft water. Have you tested your substrate? It could also increase the pH unless it's inert. Your platies must be moved to another tank. They will not appreciate the pH being lowered.

The angelfish will be cramped in your tank unfortunately.
 
#6 ·
Are you planning on adding a C02 unit once you add more plants to your tank? That may help stabilize a lower pH.

I think for you, it would be best to just go with the flow and leave your pH be. As you said, stability is the most important thing.

Looks like you have driftwood in the tank, is that the real deal or a fake decoration?
 
#7 ·
It's not the substrate.... and yes, I was thinking about adding Co2, although I currently don't know a thing about it. It's real driftwood too.

So no angel in a 28g? That will totally change things around.... oh well. What could I replace the angel with?
 
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