How do you guys keep your ph down

[haz_10]

Hey guys,

What do you keep your ph and what additives do you use.

Thanks Guys

Haz

[ILLUSN]

seachem acid buffer works well, as does discus buffer and hydrochloric acid, very acidc water has a very low kH and is there fore unstable, if you go to the extremes of ph (5.0) you'll have to do daily water changes with aged prepared water to maintain your ph, failure to do this will result in a crash (down to 3.0 or lower).

you could always use a little crushed coral with your ph reducing agent to stop a crash and maintain a low ph of 6.0-6.5

[haz_10]

Thanks Mate

[haz_10]

Thanks Mate

If i was to use the seachem acid buffer and get my ph to 6.5 in the tank and ensure that the age water in my waterchange barrell is also 6.5, will this keep things stable or is their a likelyhood of a ph crash or drop.

I would be looking at doing 30% water changes twice a week.

Thanks again

Haz

[rex82]

I would be looking at doing 30% water changes twice a week.


If i were you i wouldn't touch the ph with those sort of water changes!

[haz_10]

Rex what do you mean by that.

Thanks

Haz

[rex82]

if you are adding anything to drop your ph you will be using up your KH in your water......what is your ph to start with?...... ph test kits should nearly be thrown out the window and replaced with hardness test kits......if your hardness is kept in the ranges you would like, your ph will follow

[ILLUSN]

rex is right a drop in ph = a drop in Kh kh keeps things stables its a measure of your waters ability to resist change in chemistry as the disolved carbonate "buffers" the water.

if you want lower your ph, lower the PH of your aged water to the desired value then do DAILY water changes of 10% for a few weeks this will cause a slow shift in your water that wont stress your fish or filter(s) after you get it down to where you want keep an eye on it and see how stable it is if you can manage a ph of 6.0-6.5 and a kh of 4-8 degrees you'll be laughing, any lower then 4 and you'll have to keep a very close eye on your tank for a ph crash.

[BigDaddyAdo]

I use rainwater. I have never had a Ph crash.

[haz_10]

When keeping tropheus, i remember it was easy to keep a kh of 18 but trying to keep a ph of over 9 was the more difficult of the two.

Sydney water Kh almost is close to zero while ph is close to 8. but as soon as you apply a bio load to the tank, the ph will drop right? And due to the fact there is no Kh in the water it could keep dropping.

So from what I understand if I get some carbonate hardness generator and get my kh to 4, the ph will drop gradually but will maintain at a certain reading.

So is that it Kh generator is enough for me?

Guys im sorry for these random questions but this is great advice!

Haz

[ILLUSN]

DONT WASTE MONEY ON A KH GENERATER!

grab a $10 air driven box filter from a LFS, put in a handfull of crushed coral (bout a tablespoon/100L) and add air, all fixed, or just add a couple of tablespoons to your canister filter and replace it every 6 months or so, you dont need much carbonate, just enough to stop the ph from tumbling.