Wood To Lower Ph?

[Rorie]

Hi,

My PH is always sitting around 8.0+ All my fish are fine, but i am looking at adding different fish that require a slightly lower PH. I have heard adding wood will naturally lower the PH. Is this true? does it have to be a special kind of wood, or are any of the woods that are suitable for an aquarium good at lowering PH? I had some bogwood for my Plec, but was wondering if stuff like this will also do?

Many thanks

 

[mtv8dmarine]

Rorie,

I have a huge beast of a piece of driftwood in my 55 Gal. It lowered my Ph from 7.6 to 6.0 for about a month until the Tannins were finished leaching into the water. Now, the water is back up and stable at 7.6 again. There may be certain types of wood that offer longer periods of Ph but I haven't heard of it yet. It seems it's a temporary benefit only.

 

[rdp50734]

There are numerous ways to lower Ph from the tanins in the wood to peat slugs to chemical buffering. When I kept discus I used the chemical way as I didn't like tea coloured water! It was always very stable for me in a 200l tank.

 

[Rorie]

I found that by doing it chemically, i need to add a fair bit before it has an effect, and then the effect does not last for that long, so i gave up on that TBH.

The bogwood had a good effect for me, but yeh, not as much the water colour, but the mess it made to the bottom of my tank was crazy! Hence why i was looking at different wood. But what are these peat slugs you talk of? I have never heard of them?

 

[ZoddyZod]

before you start tampering with your pH (which can be quite tricky both to change and to maintain at a stable level) have a think if the fish you plan to stock really need it. Certainly some fish do (discus are a good example) but many in the trade do not (even though the internet care sheets say otherwise) and are just happy as long as the pH does not fluctuate too much.

What fish are you thinking of getting?

 

[rdp50734]

I found that by doing it chemically, i need to add a fair bit before it has an effect, and then the effect does not last for that long, so i gave up on that TBH.

The bogwood had a good effect for me, but yeh, not as much the water colour, but the mess it made to the bottom of my tank was crazy! Hence why i was looking at different wood. But what are these peat slugs you talk of? I have never heard of them?

Basically you put peat slugs in your filter and it lowers the Ph. http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aquarium-Peat-Slugs-Lower-PH-Blackwater-Discus-150g-/250429646382?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3a4ec5262e#ht_1929wt_1137
Again though it colours your water and I do not know at present the ration between the amount of peat and the reduction of your Ph its something to look into if your interested in doing it that way! Part of the fun is the research! LOL

 

[Rorie]

Every time i go to the shops to get new fish, i let them test my water - so i can get a second reading to make sure my testing is correct - and they always comment that my water is very hard and i should try lowering it. This comes from various shops. I gather that as my fish are happy, then i should not need to change it, but i am interested in how to lower it as 8.0 is quite high! I have fish like danios which apparently should be happy up to 7.2!

I figured that the chemical way was difficult to maintain, which is why i was thinking other methods (such as wood) may be better

 

[Rorie]

Ok, peat slugs look like an option i guess. When i got my tank, it came with carbon filters which everybody told me to remove. I gather these are good for taking colour out of the water. SO, could i have carbon filter, then my sponges, then peat slugs, then ceramic notes as my filter? I guess that would remove some of the dirt and also put some back in, but maybe not so much?

 

[rdp50734]

Ok, peat slugs look like an option i guess. When i got my tank, it came with carbon filters which everybody told me to remove. I gather these are good for taking colour out of the water. SO, could i have carbon filter, then my sponges, then peat slugs, then ceramic notes as my filter? I guess that would remove some of the dirt and also put some back in, but maybe not so much?

Your carbon will remove the effectiveness of the peat, so it would be useless also you have to replace the peat every so often 3-4 weeks I believe so IMO its not very cost effective. My water is 7.0 and I buffered it to 6.5 it was always stable but water changes were done 3 times a week. As zoddy said though it is better to keep a stable environment for the fish plus its easier than messing with the water a Ph meter etc...