# pH gone wrong?



## j-man the skater-man (Apr 4, 2005)

my tank ph is 8.4, (or slightly lower but not much) my well water is 8.4, water i preconditioned about 4 days ago is 7.4 i did nothing to the gallon jug water exsept condition it and it was not demineralized water after conditioning it with start right i just let it sit with the lid on it.. so what happened? i added the 7.4 water over the corse of an hour or so in 5-6 small doses leting it curculate between doses should i do this always when changing water? should i precondition water? does leting water sit lower ph as well as remove chlorine?

what is a good natural way to lower ph? what does ph stand for? can you have to much air-ation in a tank? should my tank smell slightly fishy? r plastic or silk fake plants better?


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

> what is a good natural way to lower ph?


Lowering pH
Lowering pH is not as easy as raising it. Filtering over peat moss is the method of choice. It is continuous and relatively easy to do. The use of bogwood to decorate the aquarium has a similar effect, although it's not as easy to maintain as using peat moss in the filter.

Another method to lower pH is to mix distilled or RO (reverse-osmosis) water with your tap water to reduce both the hardness and pH. This is effective for smaller pH changes, and you must keep in mind that every time you perform a water change, or top off the tank you'll have to mix water. In other words, if you need to greatly lower the pH of your water, think twice – it is going to be an uphill battle.

The addition of CO2 will lower the pH of your water. If you have live plants, the use of CO2 is an excellent option. There are several means of adding CO2, from high-end commercial equipment to simple do-it-yourself systems.

Raising pH
It's not often that the pH must be increased, as most water sources are already slightly to moderately alkaline. In the event your water is acidic, and you want to keep fish that originate from alkaline water (as is the case for certain Cichlids).

Filtering the water over crushed coral is the method of choice for raising the pH. The use of limestone rocks in decorating the tank will also raise the pH, but keep in mind that you will not be able to adjust it readily.

The addition of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) will also raise the pH and has the added benefit of buffering the water. Keep in mind that this will be an ongoing thing, so you can't add it once and forget about it. Suggested Reading
Water pH



> what does ph stand for?


pH is a scale used to describe water's acidity/alkalinity the p stands for power of consentration and the H is for hydrogen. So in short it stands for the potential of hydrogen.



> can you have to much air-ation in a tank?


In short yes. The long answer is that there are certain conditions that can occour if you have to much oxygen in the water of the tank.



> should my tank smell slightly fishy?


Fishy smelling water usually indicates that there is an excess of fish food in the water. This can occur even if the fish eats all of the food available. Extra waste produced by greedy fish or uneaten food can cause clouding of the water.

Some types of fish food can cause clouding, particularly if they have been left in the aquarium for too long.



> r plastic or silk fake plants better?


This is up to personal taste. Fake silk may look more realistic but plastic are eaiser to clean.


----------



## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

In my opinion live plants are better looking and more natural. 
they also do great things for the water, like use a part of nitrates and generate oxygen.


----------



## Tipsy (Apr 7, 2005)

Also about the plants in my Local Fish Shop he sells live plants and they are cheaper than plastic.


----------



## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

Silk fake plants are better looking (in my opinion) than plastic. And some long finned fish can tear their fins on plastic plants.

I have the opposite problem from you. My water is so acidic (<5) it won't even show up on most testers. I've got crushed coral and it's still very acidic. I'm thinking of setting up a discus tank, they should love it.


----------



## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Plants are much more sensitive to hardness. Caveat emptor.

What decorations/substrate are you using and is your well artesian or dug?


----------



## j-man the skater-man (Apr 4, 2005)

i am using plastic plants/gravel and the well is dug out.


----------



## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

No seashells/coral/limestone in there? If you have access to the well easily, check and see if any concrete is touching the water. Only thing i can think of as to why a dug well would have such a high pH.


----------



## j-man the skater-man (Apr 4, 2005)

our area has alot of limestone so i think thats probibly it


----------



## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

That's it then. Only thing i would reccomend at that point would be an RO unit. Chemicals have thier place mind you, just not in any tank of mine  hence i rarely reccomend them. If you are set on a certain pH then i'd say either sechem neutral buffer or bullseye 7.0.


----------



## Magdelaine (Apr 9, 2005)

I have water that is very alkaline as well, because of the limestone aquafer we are on. If I were to use peat moss, would I just put it in my Whisper filter before the bio-bag? (I think that is what it is called). Maybe in a stocking or something? It sounds simple and therefore attractive...

Elaine


----------



## fish_doc (Jan 31, 2005)

You can do either. Place it in the filter. You wont need as much there because of the high water turnover. If you place it in the tank you will need to use a bit more because of the low amount of water flowing (moving) over it.


----------



## Magdelaine (Apr 9, 2005)

Ok, one more dumb question. Do I have to buy "special' peat moss or can I use the stuff I have for putting in the garden? I have a bunch right now because it's full on spring where I am....

Elaine


----------



## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

Buy natural peat moss, unchalked and unfertilized.


----------

