# pH issues; how to bring it down?



## Droog1023 (Apr 7, 2005)

Okay, I've tried my hand at numerous species of cichlids (mainly africans) and I just recently moved into a new house and decided to try my hand at another species of cichlid, one that requires soft, acidic water (I haven't made up my mind as to which).

Now, the problem with this new home is that it uses well water and in Florida the well water is enriched with calcium and magnesium, making it really hard and really alkaline.

I've tried using peat moss in my filter to lower the pH and it doesn't work, I've tried using the seachem 7.0 and it'll lower my pH for a few hours, but than the pH will rise again.

My aquarium is a 55 gallon aquarium, I have no fish, and a few pieces of driftwood. Does anyone have ANY suggestions as towards something a bit more permanent? I want to keep my pH anywhere from a 6.4 to a 6.8.

The water coming out of my tap has about a 7.6 pH, and I don't pour in any water without treating it first with that seachem.
-Droog

As a side note the chemicals actual name is "Seachem-Neutral Regulator" and according to the instructions it precipitates calcium and magnesium from the water.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

What species are you considering keeping?

Odds are they are already adapted to a much higher ph than you think. Most tank raised fish are. If you're interested in breeding, that could be a problem, though, with a higher ph.

I've found that the most stable way to lower my ph is by placing driftwood in the tanks. The ph isn't erratic that way, and a higher stable ph is always better for your fish than a ph that is jumping all over the place.

I would stay away from the products that are sold to alter your ph, period.


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## Droog1023 (Apr 7, 2005)

I'm really interested into the severums, but I'm not positive. I think they're gorgeous, and I love their body shape.

I do have a lot of driftwood and I used to do the peat moss in the filter ordeal, but it did nothing for my pH. I didn't mind the tannin water that much because my fish seemed to love it.

Anyways, I tried something different yesterday. I treated my aquarium with my filter running and the pH did, as it always does, it dropped for a few hours than increased.

But than I left a bucket, the bucket I use to introduce fresh water into my aquarium, sitting overnight treated the same way I treat the water and the pH remained nice and low. I was wondering if maybe something in my aquarium was raising my pH.

The substrate I'm using is a combination of flourite and cumberland river gems, do you think that that's what's adding the calcium into the water? Is there a better substrate someone else can recommend out there?


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## Droog1023 (Apr 7, 2005)

I was doing some research online and I found out that Calcium and Magnesium are not the only things in hard water that you could have a buffer solution of NaHCO3/NaCO3- inside your water, which is a hard buffer to break.

I didn't realize this so I might have found the solution to my problem. TY for your help.

If you have any links that I can read up on Severums though it would be much appreciated.


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## jcushing (Apr 6, 2008)

driftwood and peat will only do so much, if you insist on lowering your PH, Reverse osmosis water might be your only choice.

7.6 isnt really that high though, thats what i got coming out of my tap and i wouldnt hesitate to put a sev right in my tank.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Just type in "severum" in the search engine on here! I'm sure that will keep you busy for awhile, and you should be able to learn alot.


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## AnDyF_27 (Aug 7, 2008)

i live in london ontario the ph level is 7.8 coming out of the tap i have one piece of driftwood in the tank now my ph level is 7.6 
also if ur buyin the fish from a pet shop chances r the fish have adapted to the ph level 
my rams r fine with my ph level


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## AnDyF_27 (Aug 7, 2008)

your fish will b fine with that ph level breeding is the problem thats if u want to breed them


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## Droog1023 (Apr 7, 2005)

Breeding is something I am looking into with these. People always come to my store and tell me the stories of their fishes breeding and I get so upset that in my few years of experience I haven't bred anything other than a live-bearing fish in a 20 gallon aquarium. I want to personally experience the behavior of any cichlid I choose to see how they behave, it's just kind of upsetting. I know I'm being spoiled, but I can't help it. :-(.

I have raised pterrophyllums before in a high pH water, but like I said, no luck with breeding. I guess the part I'm leaving out though is that my current pH tester only goes upto a 7.6, and way back when, when I was raising my labidochromis', I had a high range pH tester that had the tap water reading at an 8.4-8.6. I'm worried that my tap water may be coming out higher than the 7.6 pH I guess, but don't have it in my funds right now to buy the master test kit (no where in this town do they sell individual high range pH test kits, especially since I have every other tester except that one).

I've used the peat moss, and I've used the driftwood, and as much as the fish loved the blackwater conditions, the pH was just unaffected for me. 
-Droog


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