Help Needed With Ph Adjustments Using Natural And Chemical Means

[Alex99]

Hello Everybody,
 
I'm new to this post and am really hoping that some of you might be able to share your experience with me...
 
I have a 55 gallon tank housing the following species:
 
2 pearl gourami
2 angels
2 silver sharks
2 peacock eels
4 plecos (various species)
1 zebra golden loach
 
My tap water PH is usually at about 7.5-7.6.
 
My aquarium PH has been at the same level as the tap water until last night.
 
Nitraes are at a reasonable level (about 20ppm)
Ammonia is at 0
Nitrites are at 0
Temp is at 77 degrees C
 
* my water is not hard at all.
 
I have tried several natural methods of reducing PH such as the the introduction of drift wood and the use of peet moss and none of these made any difference.
 
Last night as a last resort, I used an API product called "PH Down" and it took my PH level straight down to 7.0. The change was dramatic and not at all what I was looking for. I wanted to bring the PH level down to about 7.0 but was wanting to do it over a the period of maby a week or so. About 2 hours after the initial drop, the PH actually raised a little and went to 7.2 but seems to have stabilized at that value.
 
Does anybody know if the little jump in PH that I exerienced after the initial drop is normal? Does anybody know if the use of such such a PH modifier can hold the water at the newly acquired PH or if I should expect the PH to slowly climb back to its origianlly high level?
 
I know that water hardness can complicate any efforts to modify PH but is there any other chemical element that could contribute to a resistance when changing PH levels?
 
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I would appreciate any possible suggestions of comments.
 
Alex

 

[hobby5]

Without knowing your exact water hardness especially the temporary hardness there is no real sense in discussing this issue. Additionally disolved humic acid and some stones can buffer/influence your pH.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I think the first thing you should do is to go here and read: http/fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-chem.html
 
Changing water parameters is not something simple nor easy. This site will give you a decent foundation to understand exactly what is involved and it does so in in easy to understand not overly technical terms.

 

[Alex99]

I think the first thing you should do is to go here and read: http/fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-chem.html
 
Changing water parameters is not something simple nor easy. This site will give you a decent foundation to understand exactly what is involved and it does so in in easy to understand not overly technical terms.

Thanks, the artcile was great. I am getting the hardness test on my way home. If I understand the article correctly a higher KG reading would increase the probability that my H2O will keep the new PH level that was acquired after having treated the tank with PH down...

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Not quite. The higher one's KH, the harder it is to lower pH. The first step is to lower the KH. Then one can either buffer or use other means to drop the pH.
 
I drop TDS and pH in a tank or two and I do so by using 50-60% ro/di water, then I add muriatic acid to drop the pH down to 6.0/5.9. To assist in this I also add catappa leaves to the tank and place a bag with alder cones in a filter. I am also wanting stained water which these two things provide as well as contributing to softer, lower pH levels. However, the heavy lifting in changing parameters is from the ro/di and the acid. In order to manage this all I have digital monitor that constantly measures Temp, TDS and pH. Additionally, I use a hand held TDS meter. New water is premixed and brought to the needed parameters before it is added after a water change. I spent 10 years in the hobby with multiple tanks before i was willing to venture into the world of changing parameters to drop pH and TDS.