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i need to knwo real specifically how to lower or raise the pH. how to test it. how to rasie or lower the salinity. i need to know asap.
thanks so much

Salinity? That's amount of salt in the water; the salt shouldn't be there if you didn't add any. You can easily remove it by doing a water change and not adding anymore salt. Doesn't even matter unless you're keeping a brackish or saltwater set-up.

Anyway, pH, on the other hand, is very important. It can be found easily with a test kit found at your local fish store. You can lower it by adding something acidic, and you can raise it by adding a base or a buffer. Basically you can use different products that are sold at your LFS, or if you can soak the water in peat moss to lower the pH or mix in baking soda to raise it, though neither of these cheaper methods have exact doses.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

There are test kits to find pH. They are relativly cheap, and easy to use.

a pH of 7 is neutral, anything under that is acidic, and anything above that is alkiline.

There are powders that you can buy to adjust the pH. When the pH in my tank is acidic, I add a little bit of baking soda to raise it back up.

Can you put the peat in your filter? Maybe in a net in place of some or addition to the media or would it continue to lower ph to dangerous levels?

Thanks, Mike

[span class="edited"][Edited by Mike R 2004-08-25 23:43][/span]

for a quick answer on peat, im pretty sure that it will change your pH to a certail level, and keep it there, BUT im not entirely sure, because i have never used it.

Hopefully someone that has had experience with using it will know.

Hi,
First, lets test the tank and see what the pH actually
is. Then you can elect to lower the pH with chemicals
such as pH Down, or naturally with peat.

Peat is put into the toe of pantyhose, and tied off,
then placed into the output side of the filter so the
returning water runs through it. The amount the pH
drops will, of course depend upon how much peat is
used, AND the KH of the water.
You can pick up a "master test kit" from any LFS
and test for pH, nitrite, nitrate, GH and KH. There
is a phamphlet in the test kit that briefly explains
each of the tests (its simple titration), and what
the results indicate, and how to alter the results.

Frank


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