Ph Buffer

[darrene]

does anyone know if you can get a ph buffer / stabiliser for a ph of 6.8? i am sure you can as i think i used to use it before when i kept tropical

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

It's farrrr better to leave your pH as it is instead of trying to adjust it. Why do you think your pH needs to be changed or stabilized?

 

[darrene]

It's farrrr better to leave your pH as it is instead of trying to adjust it. Why do you think your pH needs to be changed or stabilized?

i want to maintain a ph of 6.8 as that will be ideal for the type of fish i want to keep. the moment my ph is 7.7 i have no fish as yet

 

[Puffdaddy]

As stated before it is much wiser and healthier for fish to keep a stable PH rather than trying to make a perfect PH. Using PH buffers, adjusters, stabilizers, etc. typically cause PH swings. Also you'll end up spending a small fortune in the long run. I would suggest not messing with your PH and stick with what your tap is producing. A PH of 7.7 is not that bad and the majority of fish and most likely the ones you are considering with be just fine at the current PH level. What kind of fish is on your list?

 

[darrene]

i plan on mainly keeping angelfish i would also like to see them breed hence why i would like it slightly acidic

 

[Puffdaddy]

The angelfish will be just fine with a PH of 7.7 and should breed in that as well. Tolak seems to be the angel breeding expert around here and I believe he breeds his angels in a PH of 7.7. Take a look at the great artical that he has written on the subject. Angelfish breeding

 

[rdd1952]

Try adding some driftwood to your tank. Adding buffers is very risky unless you know what you are doing. Most all fish now can adapt to a wide pH range so trying to doctor it isn't necessary. Driftwood or peat in your filter are much better alternatives than additives. The chemicals will only keep your pH in a constant up and down swing which is extremely hard on your fish.

 

[darrene]

thanx for all your advice. i already have 3 pieces of bogwood i guess i will keep the ph as it is

 

[Puffdaddy]

Check this thread I dug up it shows the extent of tolaks breed capabilities. Fish Room

 

[rdd1952]

If you already have 3 pieces of driftwood, most likely you have very high alkaline water with a great amount of buffering capacity. Other wise, the driftwood would already be pulling the pH down. It would be very difficult for you to lower the pH without a lot of chemicals to reduce the buffering capacity. What is the pH of our tap water?

 

[Aphotic Phoenix]

It's really difficult (and risky) to alter the pH of hard water by adding things (i.e. chemicals, etc)...for people with really hard water it's far better to remove things from the water...i.e. the buffering capacity.

The only way to lower the buffering capacity is to invest in a RO/DI filter system, or some other source of "pure" water. It's also important to understand that using only filtered water is a bad idea...it must be remineralized in some way either by cutting with tap water or commercial mineral products. This is an expensive, and advanced route to go...anyone who wants to invest in this kind of system should really have a good basic grasp of water chemistry (i.e. how a low GH/KH and other factors are going to affect your pH), and understand that they are making a commitment to always premixing the water, replacing filters, etc.