Lower pH

[john x jro]

i have a penguin 200 on my 30 gallon and i was wondering if i could addd peat to this or do i need a canister filter....

 

[Apistt_ed]

you really dont' need either... I have been hanging a small bag or stocking type bag holding Sera super Peat granules just above the flow of filters and powerheads and that's been more than enough to lower my ph. It also helps to use R/O water as it's easier to lower ph.

 

[john x jro]

i dont got enough dinero for a R/O system maybe later in the year.... couls i put a lil bag of it in side my filter?

 

[Apistt_ed]

as long as it's not restricting the flow too much... I was saying that if you just hang a bag on the side of the tank, it does the same thing.

 

[john x jro]

i see what u mean now so the flow outta the fiter is hitting the bag?.....

 

[Apistt_ed]

yes sir. That should be more than ok. as long as the water is flowing through it then it doesn't need to even be in the filter itself. Experiment a little and see how much peat you need to drop your ph to desired levels. best of luck john

 

[john x jro]

thanks for the help..i can just by the peat that goes in ccanister filters right?

 

[aspen]

price a bale of canadian sphagnum peat moss in your area, then compare that to the peat bought in fish stores. you'll see why people buy the loose peat. it is very inexpensive and does the same job. make sure the peat moss says 100% pure peat with no additives. you don't want fertilisers in your fish tank.

if you put a piece of bogwood into your tank the water will change colour quite quickly. this is the same idea as the sock of peat. you don't need great flow over the sock. the tannins will leach quite effectively, passively.

rick

 

[john x jro]

i added a medium sized eice of drift to day and my pH hasnt moved

 

[john x jro]

pH went down from 7.2 to 7.0 due to drift wood...im gunna add another peice just smaller and put peat in the filter...hopefully this willl make superb conditions for the cacatuoides!

 

[banderbe]

you really dont' need either... I have been hanging a small bag or stocking type bag holding Sera super Peat granules just above the flow of filters and powerheads and that's been more than enough to lower my ph. It also helps to use R/O water as it's easier to lower ph.

what's your starting KH? I am about to get an RO system and want to get really low pH for certain fish.. like 5.0

 

[apistoireland]

If you are using RO water ist does not matter what the starting KH of your water is. The RO unit working properly will give you distilled water.Don't use the RO water undiluted. You can buy buffers for it. I just use dechlorinted tap water to bring the hardness to where I want it. This is OK if your tapwater is quite pure. Check yours for phosphate, nitrates, etc. Surely cheaper than buying buffers but if your tap water is too contaminated you will have to invest. Clean rainwater is just about the cheapest and easiest option. Use only rainwater that has been collected after a couple of days rainwater. If your area suffers from alot of air pollution that might not be an option

 

[a.d.wood]

Hi there,

I use 100% RO water for all my Apisto's, it does however filter through peat for at least 24 hours prior to use.

Andrew

 

[Fatts]

If you are using RO water it should be OK. Testing of RO water normally leaves a little bit of TDS. ~10-30 microsiemens.

Now if you are using RO/DI water that is a different story. The RO/DI that I use has an EC of 0 microsiemens.

 

[fishgeek]

i use 100% r/o di water with a ec of 0 and it stays stable

it has taken me 3 years to have the courage to do this , because of all the internet informationthat says it is not possible, pH will crash etc

we all have differnet water supplies and different tank enviroments
things will follow general rules

my r/o is basic , something here in the tap buffer's my r/o di water without conducting electricty
i also run my r/o di water through peat , this i think seems to have some stabilising effect though this is just conjecture

andrew