PH high PH low were do I go! will anyone Know?

Happy Hello to all'
Many claim high ph is fine for discus. But, in fact, low is better. I see no change in the behavior of Discus at high or low Ph, however, I believe anyone raising discus at ph levels higher then 7.0 will need to perform daily W/cs of at the least 20%. I also believe that your filtration will work better at lower ph ranges of 6.9 and under. JMO
What do you Think? What will you Do?
The doc Is here how about YOU!!!!
DD

[April]

hi doc and welcome! glad we have a doc in the house!
my ph is about 6.0 to 6.5. but my water is very soft. 30 ms. so I have to do daily changes for it not to slide. and crash! I do add some kent ro right to add hardness and se crushed coral. to buffer. I believe stable is best?
I dont measure as I go by my fishes behaviour. if they get skittish.,....I know for sure time to bring  it up.

[brewmaster15]

Hi there Doc. My breeders are at 6.8 Ro/well mix= 150us and I do daily water changes of 30%, my grow outs are at ph 7.5-7.8 and its well water  at about 450us. I agree that the lower pH are better , but only to a degree. the biofilter doesn't work as well in very acidic water, but on the other hand  ammonia is very toxic in water  that is  more alkaline, so I guess its a wash in some ways!!!

What does the good doctor think about the effects of water buffers and hardness in this complicated yet fascinating area of fish keeping?    ;D

-al

As the doc Would put it beter late Then Never!!!

Mr Brew'
I do not Care Or Need The buffers. like the May Girl States I mean April if needed Then let it be So..

Imyself Believe 500 mS is pusing it! as far as conductivity Goes.


Gh from 6 to 12 is my limit!

Kh I love at 6 + any lower bring on the Salts!!!!!

To Low To High will destory your fry!

r/o / tap or well mixed is way to go to make love water.

acids can be used to tweek your ph. down
baking soda to tweek it up!

crushed coral or shells to tweek kh up
r/o to tweek it down. If you have the time peat will help aswell.

Your perscription is ready!
DD

[April]

Heh Doc...... i had no idea you were a poet!!!!!!!!!

[Jeffery_Doty]

Hey Doc, Everyone,

Great information!

Now, my question is:

Is there any type of acid I should NOT use to lower my ph?  

Or.

Is there one type of acid that is better than the rest to use for the purpose of lowering ph?

Thanks!!

Jeff
Oregon

I don't do anything to change my ph. The ph in my tanks are about 7.5 and it suits my fish just fine. As long as your hardness and uS are in acceptable levels your fish will be happy. Contantly trying to adjust the ph will cause more problems to your fish. I keep my breeders at about 70uS and my growouts at about 225-250uS

[Bill_P.]

Doctor D

The Nice fish you sold me have a natural enemy

They change the supply quite frequently

The Ph may go a little high,  the next day be dropping away

So Doctor D what do you say

How do I make my Kh a stable enity



Bill

[DarkDiscus]

This is one cool thread.  Can't believe I missed it!

I'd like to see my pH a little lower, but if the fish survive and thrive, I'm happy.

Current stats:  pH: 7.4, ms 230

Fish seem happy, are eating well.

(That has nothing to do with the fact my wife likes to dance around naked in this room...)

           

John

[Jeffery_Doty]

Randy,

So, your fish are breeding at a ph of 7.5 and a conductivity of 70?  And when you want to trigger a spawn, you work with the conductivity and leave the ph at 7.5?

Thanks for the information.  You always hear that the ph should be below 7 for breeding, but it is nice to hear people are doing good with a ph over 7.

Thanks

Jeff
Oregon

[Butch]

Hi Everyone and you too DD.  The little fellows you sent my way last week said to say Hello ;D

I have my crowd on a drip and they seem to love it.  They are very alert and eat like hogs.  Watching DD's fish at feeding time is like watching starwars.

The tanks run 8.0 to 8.2 on the the ph and the conductivity is 225uS,   My tap water is from deep wells and is Kh 7.0 and Gh 7.0 and 225uS.   They treat only with small amounts of chlorine and a polyphosphate.

The drip rate is 2gph into 56 gal tanks, Dave C told me that comes out to a 58% water change daily.

A long as my guys are happy and growing where even I can see the growth....then I am happy.

See ya'll later
Butch

Jeff,
Sulfuric acid should never be used  in the fish tank to lower pH.
Mat

[nowings]

Can sulfuric acid be used in water storage containers???

Nancy