pH Stabilizers?

[Grymatta]

has anyone ever used stuff like Correct pH 6.5 or similar which is supposed to buffer your water, remove chlorine, and set your water to 6.5 pH?

I'm thinking this is an easier solution than messing around with crushed coral, baking soda, epsom salts, ph Ups/downs, etc.

Wonder if anyone has used this stuff or have any opinions on it?

 

[discus4everGrl]

If your water is too hard it's easier to put a piece of driftwood in it or filter through peat.

 

[Balloon Fish]

ya i was going to say the peat thing too but discus4evergrl already said it you can probably add co2 to your tank and it'll lower the pH a little...why do you want a pH of 6.5? what tank is this for?

 

[Davy]

It is usually recommended to leave your Ph wherever it is. What is your Ph now and what fish are in the tank? My tank has a Ph of 8 or a little more and I keep angelfish, tetras, and a loach without a problem. Many times adding a chemical to your tank does more harm than good.

 

[Grymatta]

my pH is about 6.4 right now. but theres no buffering in my water and it has dropped below 6.0 the past. it flucturates alot. Tap water has a ph of 6.7. KH and GH are both 1.0

Was thinking of an easy method to create water for water changes that matched current conditions...

this tank is for dwarf gouramis and some shrimp.

 

[Kuroshio]

Wow, always dangerous to mess with the pH. The fluctuations have more adverse effects than the stable low or high you have in the tap. Is this a new tank still establishing? I would definitely say no to the bottled additives (pH Up/Down) though.

 

[Davy]

Well, if there is a danger of your Ph crashing then I would say you might need to do something. What that something is, I don't know. Maybe someone with more experience on Ph can help you out.

 

[Grymatta]

yeah i think its in the final stages of cycling...guess i'd better wait till its done before i tamper with the buffering..

 

[discus4everGrl]

If this is that 2 or 3 gallon tank you have (thats you right?) do not use chemicals or co2 in it. The results will be to intense. If your fish are not suffering then leave it alone.

 

[Balloon Fish]

ya i agree with discus4evergrl, thats why people recomend bigger tanks for begginers cause there is room for messing up but small tanks if you mess up the dosage a little on certain things then your in trouble

 

[FroggyFox]

If your pH continues to fluxuate I think I'd look into some 'natural' ways to stabilize it like crushed coral. It would be better IMO to fool around with the pH now while you dont have any fish in the tank to hurt!

 

[Grymatta]

yeah...thanks guys. I'm not gonna mess around with chemicals in my tiny 3 gallon. I've been doing research into different ways of stablizing pH and adding more buffering. I prefer the more natural stuff like crushed coral but ive never done it before so im a little nervous..

 

[Lotus]

What you need to do with crushed coral is put it in a mesh bag (available at the LFS for a dollar or two) in the filter. You only need to use about a teaspoon of it for a small tank. The nice thing about putting it in a bag in the filter is that you can take it out whenever you want. Of course, you will need to monitor your pH and KH for a while to see how it does. I have used it in the past fairly sucessfully to increase my KH. I bought mine at a fish store that sold it by the pound, as a 15lb bag was more money and more crushed coral than I wanted.

 

[Grymatta]

cool thanks Lotus..I saw a bag of crushed coral at a LFS but it was 15 lbs like you said..more than i need! They also did not sell a mesh bag. I wonder if chains like Petco would carry that stuff or sell coral by the pound?

I might have to resort to buying some tomatos on the vine, since they come in a mesh net sometimes..!