Lowering P.H

[swifto]

Hi all,my new set up ph is 7.6 after three days of running it has a large piece of d/w in it which Illusn gave me.So would shell grit or coral help lower it to 6.4/6.2 if so which would b better as I like to use natural products,or will these cause more problems.

[firthy13]

shell grit and coral contain calcium carbonate. which will actually send your water closer to pH of 8 and will increase your hardness quite a bit.
give it a few more days. i have mangrove root in my 450L tank and it buffers to water to about 6.4 without the aid of anything else. if it doesnt go any lower then 7.6 you may need to add some more wood.

[swifto]

Thanks I'll forget shell grit,coral.the d/w is about 20kg piece once I add sub straight it may lower, will check ph on Saturday and c.

[ILLUSN]

i dont think that wood will lower your ph much, 6x2.5x2.5 is a BIG tank, you might need more wood to get the desired effect.

[Nev]

Aquasoil will bring your phone down to 6.2 if you haven't decided on substrate yet. Or Indian almond leaves in your filter.

[swifto]

Illusn my tank is 4x2.5dx2w.Nev i added the sub-straight all ready.Would peat moss help lower it,as i no it will soften there water.

[swifto]

Give the tank is about 600ltr.Nev would 1 bag of aqua soil do as can move some sub straight and add the aqua soil.I would like to get ph close other tanks ph of 6.4.

[Nev]

I'm guessing yes, but illusn would know better. Aquasoil will give an ammonia spike when its first added because of all the fertilizer in it.
Peat moss is another option that will do the job. Just make sure its got no added fert if buying from a garden center.

[swifto]

Thanks Nev,well Flower power has both sagnum and peat moss with no add ferts in them so will use one of these both cheap as $12-(5ltr).So if i add it under the sub straight will it turn the water to tea colour,the up side is plants will grow quickly,but with using either of these cause a algae bloom.And will this need replacing from time to time.Sorry for all the questions just want to get it right from the start. :scratch

[swifto]

Well after much head scratching I tested the ph in my old tank which has been in the garage running and to my suprise the ph is 7.2 which the last time i tested it was some time ago at a ph 6.4,my new set up is ph 7.6 after only 6 days of running.I guess it pays to check things a little bit more . :oops:

[BigDaddyAdo]

If it si just a display tank I don't see a problem with the Ph as long as it is stable.

[swifto]

Hi all,I added about 8.5ltrs aqua soil to the seachem florite sub straight which came from my other set up,I'm aiming for a 6.4ph in the new display tank being 600ltr. :ug .I'll b planting swords,narrow java fern and a couple of different Val varieties.

[Nev]

They'll love that, watch your ph drop now.

[Hooked]

Hi Rob,

I look forward to seeing some pics when its all done mate,

Cheers

[swifto]

Hi all,well my ph has dropped from a ph7.6 down to a comfortable 6.6 in five days,ammonia is 0ppm,all levels are 0ppm,now I'm just waiting on plants.One thing i didn't do was add a weir,i have just a pvc pipe in the corner but will change it later to a acrylic pipe so not to have it standing out like a sore thumb.This was to maximise the water volume in the tank as the weir would have lesserned this by at least 40ltrs. Hi hooked will show some pics when its done.