Using HCL acid for PH Down???

[kvan]

Hi all,
Thank you for paying attention to this post. I am very new in here as in keeping discus. Some one told me that I could buy HCL acid from a pool shop to bring down the PH of my tap water which is approx 8.2. Is this a good idea or am i being fooled? Please help!

[Howie_W]

Hi kvan and welocome!

Do not put HCL in your water unless you're hoping to make Discus soup.

Let's start with some basics. Do you already have Discus or just getting ready?

Your pH is fine for raising Discus. What they need most is constant/stable, warm clean water. Is 8.2 your pH straight from the tap?

Many of us use a holding tank or container to store and age our water before adding to the fish tank. Age your water for 24 hrs. and recheck the pH to see if it changes. If your water is hard it should remain fairly constant.

Take some time to read through the beginners section and feel free to ask any questions that might come up.

Howie

[JeffreyRichard]

Hi all,
... to bring down the PH of my tap water which is approx 8.2. Is this a good idea or am i being fooled? Please help!


See my post in this section Beginner Primer pH

Why are you trying to alter your pH? 8.2 is OK to raise discus in ... it's safer, easier and cheaper to ignor the pH! I raise mine in tap of 9.5

Just Say No! to chemicals!

[Howie_W]

I raise mine in tap of 9.5

Just Say No! to chemicals!


Hey Jeff,

Is that a record? ;)


Howie

[RyanH]

9.5 is pretty incredible. :o

I agree with Howie and Jeffrey. Discus needing a low pH to be healthy is a persistent myth that won't seem to ever go away.

Keep your pH stable and you shouldn't have any problems.

That is some pretty nasty stuff and has to be handled very careful in regard to your fish as well as for yourself.

If you use the search option: "Muriatic Acid" (most likely in the Water Section) you will find tons to read about it.
I have used it a while, but for me personal there are better solutions.


Ronald

[kvan]

Hi all again,
Thank you Howie Jeffrey Ronald and RyanH for your promt reply. I should have asked abit earlier. I've been keeping Africans for years but only had my first 6 beloved discus for 3 weeks. I never had to measure Ph for the Africans before. The guy sold them to me kept his discus in a low PH water using HCL acid, so I had to use Sodium Biphosphate to lower my tap water to the level that was already familiar with these fish. My water now is 7.0 when the tap water is 8.2 (I used the digital PH pen). I almost had to use the whole little bottle of PH Down powder (Sodium Biphosphate) that I bought from the local aquarium to bring my 50G tank down 1 Ph point.
So what should I do now? slowly bring the PH up again then use just tap water? Or just have to keep using Sodium Biphosphate? Or there is another solution? The fish seem to be happy at the moment. Please suggest a solution. Thank heaps.

[kvan]

Here is the home-made tank that I spent 2 weekends to complete...

[kvan]

And the 4 month old discus that are sleeping, I guess :)

[Anonapersona]

Your phosphate levels are through the roof after using that much Sodium biphosphate. I found that adding 1/4 teaspoon to 10 gallons raises the phosphates to about 30ppm, so you might see a black curly hairy algae begin in the tank. That was what happened when I used too much in a planted tank, anyhow.