Buffers for lower pH

[ashhhh]

thought I might add this,<
>before freshwater, I was very into marine fishkeeping,still am to some degree.Firstly I have no phd and study no type of science or chemistry and suked at physics at school.I studied the absolute @#%$ out of keeping marine books from the local li
ary as I didnt have the luxury of a computer back then.The information out there on water parameters and the like, especially when keeping corals and inverta
ates can be totally overwhelming and also very expensive to the point that it allmost turned me away from marine fish before  I even thought about getting a fish!Any one that has done alot of reading on marine fish and coral keeping will probably agree with this.I found alot of information from one book to another, contradicted what the other would say.It can get quite confusing.I went to a guy that dedicated his entire 400sq m lower floor of his house to marine and corals. I asked him how do you do this? He said stick to the basics and you cant go wrong.This sounded pretty good to me.The four basic and mostly important he said were ;regular water changes, ;specific gravity, you dont like too much salt do you?;a healthy biological filter sysyem and correct temperatures, you wouldnt like to shiver or sweat.I didnt believe it could be that simple, but I kept beautifull fish and some wicked corals successfully for three years or so on that advice untill I moved and didnt have the room for the setup I had, and had to sell.Sure some parameters that are left unchecked might go a little crazy sometimes but if you have clean fresh well filtered water at the right temp you should be right.Putting acid in your tank ? Sounds a bit sketchy to me, but hey Im a basic guy that doesnt know jack about that tech stuff you guys were going on about.As one of you said ''it is your passion''  Im not bagging you guys out or trying to start an online war but just trying to get the message to others out there like me, that it can be as technical as you want it to be, or as basic as you want it to be. <
><
>Happy fish keeping to all you average C students out there<
><
>Ash        

[Otorix]

I agree with Ash. In one of my tanks i keep discus which prefer soft slightly acidic water. My tap water is alkaline and soft. I have one piece of driftwood in the tank that helps keep that water slightly acidic. Basically i do a 25% weekly water change. I don''t do anything to the tap water before putting it in the tank and find that even though the tap water is alkaline, once added it will only
ing the ph of the entire tank up to neutral, and then over the next week slowly drops back to slightly acidic. I don''t even dechlorinate the water before adding to the tank and i''ve had these same discus for 3 years with no losses.<
><
>For me fishkeeping is about enjoying the fish, not playing the chemist to ensure water conditions are invariably precise day in day out. For me that would be a pain in the ass. <
><
>Also i think it very rare for fish in nature to enjoy a utopian environment where their water paramaters never change. Brackish water fish always experience varying salinity levels from freshwater to saltwater, African fish may experience sudden reductions in Ph and the level of carbonates after sudden heavy rain, so i don''t think some variance in the aquarium is going to hurt all that much. <
><
>Oh and by the way I have 3 post secondary qualifications but they don''t count for @#%$ because 90% of what you learn is away from the classroom. It annoys me when I hear people say that because they have a certain degree they know what they are talking about. They very well might and may very well be correct, but may not necessarily be the best way of doing something. <
><
>My opinion is listen to the old time fish keepers on here, who have used proven basic methods for years to successfully
eed and keep fish, these are the people who know what they are talking about.  

[nemo1981]

ok, <
>can i ask a question about peat?<
>my tap water is coming out about 8.6.<
>I keep alot of
istlenose and find they
eed best when the ph is in the 7''s.<
>What is an easy way to use peat to lower ph levels?<
><
>Would putting some peat in a bucket, with fine holes and maybe some mesh in the bottom sitting on another bucket or container, and drain the water through the peat bucket work?<
><
>Would the water in the reservoir have a lower ph?<
>I don''t know i''ve never used peat, but i do know i''m sick of using ph down.<
>and even with considerable driftwood in the tanks, it still rarely goes below 8.<
><
>any help appreciated.<
>and keep it simple, chemistry wasn''t my strong subject.. Steven & Amy<
>Ipswich<
>Email: nemo19_81@hotmail.com<
>Our Photos<
>

[Sigmaphile]

Steve,<
>I think that using two buckets like that might just work.<
>Filter some water and then check the pH. Add some of your tap water and keep adding until you get the right pH.<
>It will take a little bit of stuffing around and some calculations to start but once you work out how much for your peat filtered water you need to get the right pH all you have to do is then do water changes with the peat filtered water.<
>If it is a bit low add some normal tap water. The driftwood will help the pH stay low once there.<
>Let me know how you go. May set it up myself for my B/N.<
>If I do it first I will let you know my results. What peat I used and how much water I needed or even the pH change from my tap water to water filtered through the peat.<
><
> Phil<
><
>Beaudesert<
>debphil@ozemail.com.au<
><
>&quot;I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.&quot;<
>

[here fishie fishie]

<
>Yes Bryce, as long as the water is clean, ph isn''t to different, most fish will do fine. <
>Nemo, as Phil said you have to experiment a little. I have had Bristlenose
eed no problems in african setups.<
><
>Quote:African fish may experience sudden reductions in Ph and the level of carbonates after sudden heavy rain,<
>Um no. <
>Quote:so i don''t think some variance in the aquarium is going to hurt all that much. <
>Lake Tangy cichlids it will.<
><
>Frenchy  "A house full of people is a house full of different points of view"<
>

I discovered my gravel was releasing carbonates into the water. Its the type of black granite gravel.  So if you want to keep fish at a lower pH, dont use it. The guys at the store even had no idea. <
><
>Ive switched to river sand. Hope it works out.  

[nemo1981]

frenchy,<
>i do have
istlenose in 8ph water that are
eeding, just found through previous experience that they
eed more readily in ph in the 7''s.<
><
>i''m using coffs harbour gold in all of my tanks, so at least i don''t have to worry about that too much altering the ph.<
><
>funny, my ph used to come out about 7.2, 7.4. now 8.6 Steven & Amy<
>Ipswich<
>Email: nemo19_81@hotmail.com<
>Our Photos<
>

[Needajapcar]

Be careful using peat, alot of
ands release ammonia.

[nemo1981]

Quote:Be careful using peat, alot of
ands release ammonia<
>well can you recommend any
ands and the best place to get them? Steven & Amy<
>Ipswich<
>Email: nemo19_81@hotmail.com<
>Our Photos<
>

[Mistakes Are Crucial]

Nemo,<
><
>I bought a bale of Sunshine Peat (
and name) which is Canadian Sphagnum, it releases small amounts of ammonia but nothing that a little Prime or other conditioner cant fix.  From memory I think the test went to about .25.  It works well and lowers the Ph and hardness as long as your water isnt too hard to start with.  I found the ammonia in other
ands was off the scale so be careful which ones you buy.<
>HTH MAC

[hareysfish]

just grab a slab or mangrove root/ drift wood and all your worries will be over    

I have been keeping fish for over 20 years<
>And I just add crushed coral<
>It works for me but it does tend to harden the water<
>Good luck

crushed coral raises pH, as opposed to lowering. We are talking about lowering pH.