lowering pH..naturally

[jim from sydney]

Hi All......for a non-planted...clear bottom discus tank 420 liter capacity...i want to decrease the pH from 7.4 to say about 6.8 but without chemicals such as pH down.

so i am looking for a natural alternative,

any suggestions????....Jim

[Ben]

Hi Jim,

catappa leaves mate! lol
In Andrew Soh's book he talks about lowering the PH but addding the Infamous catappa leaves.

Another way which would work well for you is to add natural peat to the cannister filter, now just in case you do not have a cannister filter a clean stocking filled with peat placed about the sponge filter or near a current.
this will not lower the PH by heaps but it will help.

Sera make a product called "Super Activ Blackpeat"
it comes in 500 grams and cost just under 10 bucks.
i have used this product and found it to be good.

HTH Jim,

Ben

[mistakes r crucial]

Hi Jim,

There is a Canadian brand of peat called Sunshine Peat which works very well. It has no additives, does the job and costs around $28 for a bale. If you're only using it on one tank a bale would last you years. The retail stuff is also very good but will probably cost you 10 times more. If you've never used peat before just keep an eye on your water as it can make the params shift substantially.
MAC

[mistakes r crucial]

Doubled up there.

[jim from sydney]

Ben.....the famous leaves are always in demand.........great stuff Pal..i have an external canister in this tank......is this the natural peat to get from a nursery????? just a small amount will do ???? and does it reduce quickly or over a long period????

MAC.....thanks ..i may try the above first ......

Thanks Guys.....Jim

[dreamer]

is there a real need to lower ph? im not sure why many ppl try to achieve this?

[Ben]

Jim,
You might find a very hard time tracking down where to find natural peat safe for aquarium use.
Spaghnum moss is available but it does very little in changing the PH.

I bought some of that sera peat granules and it has lasted for ages, but Mac is %100 right it would be more than 10 times the price! I guess it is convienent to use.

Here is a good link with every thing you need to know about Peat:

http://hjem.get2net.dk/Best_of_the_Web/peat%20page.html

Dreamer, I have found in the past when it comes to breeding there will be far better results if the PH is under 7 than if it is above.

cheers,
Ben

[jim from sydney]

One tank i run like Dreamer does......water straight from the tap no pH change only conditioner......the other i change the pH using pH down....fish appear happier at lower pH.....maybe my imagination working overtime????...Jim