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Hello all.

I have been having problems lowering my PH in my 4 foot by 1 foot by 1 foot tank.
I have tried using Peat with no avail, then I used 'proper ph 6.5' (a ph buffer product) but again to no effect.

I suspected my gravel to be the cause of the alkalinity, so I have now changed to silver sand (I wanted to do this anyway) and I have added 'proper PH' and the ph drops for an hour and then begins to rise again.

There are no ornaments in the tank except for natural bogwood. my filters contain no carbon.

My biological filter is a power filter, I do have an air driven mechanical filter.

Is the air driven filter responsible for the PH rise or could it be something else?

If it is would the Ph problem ease off over time or do i need to switch the air driven filter off?

Thanks alot for your continued help!




P.s I want the PH change to encourage my SA rams into spawning.

[span class="edited"][Edited by 2004-08-26 14:47][/span]

First off, Ph ajusting chemicals have been reported to be useless. I can't exactly confirm this as I've never bothered to use them.

By any chance are you on well water You might want to read this post if you are.

If you're on city water, I'd suggest that you stop using the 'proper ph 6.5'. If you could provide us with PH, Gh and Kh numbers for water out of the tap, as well as the water in the tank we might be able to help more.

Depending on what fish you're trying to keep, you may not need to change the ph @all. More often than not continual shifts in ph on the keepers attempt to alter the ph cause more stress to the fish than it's worth.

^_^

Your water has natural buffering. The KH is keeping the water pH up. What is the pH and KH from the tap? What is the pH and KH of the tank?

Also try a vinegar test on some gravel from your tank. Remove some gravel, pat it dry with a towel, and pour some vinegar on it. If it bubbles, there is your source of KH. Although, the KH levels may just be coming from your tap water.

-- Gomer

[span class="edited"][Edited by Gomer 2004-08-26 23:22][/span]

Hi,
The answer to your specific question is no, the
air driven filer is not affecting your pH.
Babel's questions are good and you should test
your water's chemistries.
IF your KH is high, it will buffer your attempts
to lower the pH giving the results you describe.

It might help to know what you have in the tank
for substrate and ornaments. Rocks, etc?

If you have a carbonate substrate (crushed coral,
dolomite, or oyster shells) or rocks that are
carbonate based, then your KH and GH will be high
and again will counteract your attempts to lower
the pH.

Sometimes, a water change of say 50% with lowered
pH (tap water diluted with distilled for instance)
will drop the pH and trigger the spawning cycle.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I get my water from the tap, The Kh is high but I don't know the exact figures, I am going to invest in a KH test kit this afternoon. I want to lower the PH for my S/A Rams, the 'Proper PH 6.5' product has done this and my rams are now starting to show signs of breeding behaviour (shuffling in the sand, driving off other rams).

The PH lowering product has done its job, the PH has remained constant for 4 days now. I am wondering why there are negative posts about this type of product. I would stress that I am not an advanced fishkeeper so mabe this stuff is doing somthing bad I'm not aware of yet. My Ph previously was above 8 and so the rams would not breed before I used this product.

Here is a bit of info on the back of Proper ph 6.5...

'Waterlife 6.5 buffer creates ideal conditions for fish and plants which prefer low PH, soft water conditions. E.G. most tetras, barbs Rams, Angels, Sharks, Loaches etc. 6.5 buffer will reduce ammononium toxicity and stress, thus helping species thrive. 6.5 buffer is a true buffer, i.e once the correct amount is added, ph 6.5 stability will be achieved'.

I have tried Peat before but the KH of the water prevented any PH change. I am aware that Peat is a natural way to sofen and lower the PH of my water but for me this has not worked.

Sorry for the long post but I would really appriciate some ideas on this subject of chemichal buffers.

Thank you all for your continued support.

James

One probem with ph adjusters is that when you do a water change you have to continually add this chemical to the water to be added or the ph will just rise again .depending on where you live in the UK decides wether you have hard or soft water.Mine is hard in bristol but all of my fish are fine regardless of the higher than normal hardness and ph.

Gibson SG you know you want one!!

One other thing you may take into consideration. It is MUCH easier to purchase fish that require your water parameters, rather than trying to change your water chemistry. It is always easier to go from soft to hard water, rather than hard to soft. Consider getting dwarf varieties of African cichlids.