best way to lower the ph slightly?
- andrewcoxon
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best way to lower the ph slightly?
hi guys,
as some of you may know im new to zebras but iv set up a tank with an aim to breed them in the future (iv booked 4 of these little guys which i will be getting once my tank is all definatley sorted) anyway..... i keep african malawi's and i know that coral is used to buffer the ph of the water but after setting up my tank a week ago iv just tested the ph of the water and its at 7.3 with nothing in there apart from tap safe, so basically i need to lower it slightly to 6.3 ish... as this is what the zebs like. whats the best way to do this? also when i do water changes do i need to lower the ph of the new water i put in or will a small amount not make such a difference.
i heard that once i get mopani wood in there this will lower the ph but will it be enough?
thanks in advance for all your help guys. iv learnt so much allready from these forums so im sorry for asking all the questions!
all the best,
andy
as some of you may know im new to zebras but iv set up a tank with an aim to breed them in the future (iv booked 4 of these little guys which i will be getting once my tank is all definatley sorted) anyway..... i keep african malawi's and i know that coral is used to buffer the ph of the water but after setting up my tank a week ago iv just tested the ph of the water and its at 7.3 with nothing in there apart from tap safe, so basically i need to lower it slightly to 6.3 ish... as this is what the zebs like. whats the best way to do this? also when i do water changes do i need to lower the ph of the new water i put in or will a small amount not make such a difference.
i heard that once i get mopani wood in there this will lower the ph but will it be enough?
thanks in advance for all your help guys. iv learnt so much allready from these forums so im sorry for asking all the questions!
all the best,
andy
- Plastic Mac
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You really need to know your Gh and Kh as they will determine how easy or how hard it will be to alter the pH, as far as I know. If you have lots of dissolved solids within the water, and then try to alter the Ph you'll probably find the water will bounce straight back up a few days later.
You best bet would be to get an RO kit which would solve your problem straight away and now doubt be the cheapest option in the long run.
Some people use peat to lower the water which works pretty well as far as I know.
I also have your kind of water, alhtough mine comes out of the tap at 8.3...so I buy 15 gallons of RO water from my fish shop every couple of weeks, only becuase I'm not able to have an RO kit fitted into my house
Don't quote me on it but I think people have spawned zebs in water with your pH value so it isn't necessarily the end of the world...the most important thing is stability in the water parameters I think.
If you can provide the other values of your water it would help in deciding the best course of action I think.
Plastic Mac[/quote]
You best bet would be to get an RO kit which would solve your problem straight away and now doubt be the cheapest option in the long run.
Some people use peat to lower the water which works pretty well as far as I know.
I also have your kind of water, alhtough mine comes out of the tap at 8.3...so I buy 15 gallons of RO water from my fish shop every couple of weeks, only becuase I'm not able to have an RO kit fitted into my house
Yes you will need to lower it otherwise it will only put your pH back up to where it was...or at least on the way to where it originally was.also when i do water changes do i need to lower the ph of the new water i put in or will a small amount not make such a difference.
Again, depends on your Kh and Gh...but I'd be very surprised if the mopani made an real difference....normal bogwood would probably be more effective but even that will be limited in it's effect.i heard that once i get mopani wood in there this will lower the ph but will it be enough?
Don't quote me on it but I think people have spawned zebs in water with your pH value so it isn't necessarily the end of the world...the most important thing is stability in the water parameters I think.
If you can provide the other values of your water it would help in deciding the best course of action I think.
Plastic Mac[/quote]
- andrewcoxon
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- andrewcoxon
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- andrewcoxon
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Zebras honestly couldn't care less about the pH, as long as it's between 6 and 8, IMO. I keep mine at 7.8 and have had fertile spawns, no problem. The most important factor they need is stability. Too much stress is put on trying to get exactly the same parameters that they come from and people end up causing fluctuations that stress them far worse than a slightly higher pH. Just my opinion though, for what it's worth .
Barbie
Barbie
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If your tap water is fluctuating when you put it in your tank, you need to age it first in a container with good aeration to equalize the CO2 and oxygen levels and check for a kH above 2 degrees hardness. Without that, the acids from fish waste will cause the pH to drop and be unstable.
Barbie
Barbie
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hi
Well if I may suggest as many water changes as possible, and mine are straight from the tap, and I have used this method in London where the water is very hard and in Liverpool where it is soft.
As Barbie says stability is the most important thing, or may I add to this very gradual change.
Assuming that you have a very high turnover of water in your tank, my method is to refill, the tank via air line from a water source above the tank.
Zebs are quite tough, but I also keep and breed Tropheus Moori Chipimbi wild caught (These are a bit sensitive) in a soft water area, buffered with sea shells, they are perfectly happy. I do regular 50% water straight from the tap.
Same with L255 and L201.
Take care
Dave
As Barbie says stability is the most important thing, or may I add to this very gradual change.
Assuming that you have a very high turnover of water in your tank, my method is to refill, the tank via air line from a water source above the tank.
Zebs are quite tough, but I also keep and breed Tropheus Moori Chipimbi wild caught (These are a bit sensitive) in a soft water area, buffered with sea shells, they are perfectly happy. I do regular 50% water straight from the tap.
Same with L255 and L201.
Take care
Dave
My tap water has a normal kH of 5, but over time the kH drops to 2 in my tank. The pH stays at a constant 7.44 (+/-0.02); which means the CO2 content in the water is at around 2.5ppm - I use a powerhead and air pump that go off and on throughout the 24 hour cycle.
But my question is how can you have a pH of 6.5? It either means your adding CO2 to your water or your kH is much lower than 2. Which is it? Unless of course you have high phosphates, which throws off the whole kH-pH relationship. Can someone clarify.
But my question is how can you have a pH of 6.5? It either means your adding CO2 to your water or your kH is much lower than 2. Which is it? Unless of course you have high phosphates, which throws off the whole kH-pH relationship. Can someone clarify.