Aquarium Chemistry

[noobgamers]

hey im going to be adding peat balls to lower my 50 galls ph and hardness but leading up to this i want to reduce the ph down to 6 and use the peat balls to keep it stable what acids can i use to achieve this i know sulphuric acid is used in a 3 percent solution in some aquarium ph lowering chemicals but paying 5 quid for a 5 millilitres of the chemical i really want is pointless to me so what else can i use since its a Amazon biotope i was theorising as to whether i could use powdered tannic acid to lower the ph as that would also grant the blackwater effect commonly seen in amazon tanks ty for any help

 

[Byron]

The preferred way to lower GH (and corresponding pH) is to first dilute the tap water with "pure" water.  RO or distilled will work, or even better depending where you live is clean rainwater as it will be acidic itself.
 
Using chemicals often does not work, and can cause fluctuating conditions which can harm fish.  The initial KH (Alkalinity or carbonate hardness) of the tap water if high will act as a buffer to prevent shifts in pH.  The added acid, whatever chemical it is, will lower the pH but the buffer kicks in and it goes back up.  This is why most of us recommend against any form of chemical pH adjustment.
 
Once you have the GH and pH where you want it, it will tend to remain (the GH) and the pH may lower further due to the organic decomposition.  Water changes will have to take all this into account of course, with similar diluting.
 
Peat, dry leaves and to a lesser extent wood will all lower pH and GH, but here again the initial KH may buffer it.  In this situation, the GH/pH will not immediately drop and then rise again, but may not drop much at all.  It all depends upon the tap water (or source water) parameters to start with.
 
Byron.