Ideal Ph For Freshwater Tank?

[Phishy25]

Just checked my water stats and Ammonia 0, Nitratite 0, Nitrate <20, pH 8. Should I try and lower the pH? Not had any problems with my fish, although some plants are going brown. Would a pH of 7 be better allround? I know each fish prefers a certain pH level, but is there an ideal pH for a freshwater community?

 

[Sysiphus]

What fish & plants are in the tank? What size tank?

You know, consistancy in pH is almost more important than what level it is unelss you are breeding fish. If your pH will tend to always be 8.0 you might try to find plants that will be good at the akaline end of the scale. Most fish can and will adjust. Of course in general 6.8-7.0 is a good pH for a community tank & most plants. I can tell you from experience, fighting a constant battle with pH balance is not easy and chemically treating pH is not a good option.

If you are set on lowering the pH you might begin by putting some peat in your filter media. A small amout goes a long way, so easy does it (and I would rinse any peat you get very well). It will soften and acidify your water, but it will also turn your water a bit amber. Personally, I like the rich color.

 

[dc3]

The ideal pH depends on what kind of community it is... while there are chemicals that alter the pH, it's best not to mess with that parameter - most fish that you will pikc up locally are sort of conditioned to your water within reason, and going for the pH leaves you open to problems from too many other variables that you may not want to deal with.

 

[fishlette]

as already mentioned, in most cases unless you specifically need a lower pH, you are better off leaving it be and not use any chemicals. these cause rapid pH changes which can be detrimental to your fish.

try using peat as already mentioned and also wood. wood helps to lower your pH as well

 

[rdd1952]

What is the pH of your tap water? If it is equally high, then you probably won't be able to lower it although as mentioned, you probably dont' need to lower it anyway. Hard water and high alkaline water are very difficult to soften naturally. If the tap pH is lower, then there is something in your tank that is raising it.