Ph lowering techniques?

[Double Up]

I was using discus buffer and seachem neutral to target Ph however found that it drives the TDS through the roof. Can I lower Ph just by placing a small piece of driftwood in my breeding tank? Bag of peat?

[Bilbo_wh]

I went through a pile of pH lowering techniques with apistos and found the only way is start with good water and use peat.
Found out the hard way that pH 4 from HCl or H2SO4 is way different from pH 4 from peat filtering.

One thing I have learnt is keep the water the same every day even if it’s not text book perfect, as long as its consistent you will have happier fish.

If you are in a position like me where tap water is unusable (pH 8 - 9.5 and about 900uS) then peat filtering is your best bet.

I have just, tonight, finished putting together a DI system and the water is exiting at 5 - 10uS so I have to do some reading on how to harden it :)

[Scribbles]

If you MUST lower your PH then peat works well. Be sure to keep an eye on the hardness though. If it gets too low you will get PH swings.

Chris

[brewmaster15]

Whatever method you use to lower your pH relies on the same principals...before you try to do so... know your starting pH and KH..., the higher the KH..the harder it is to low the pH as that KH is representative of how buffer is in the water...

The problem is... water with little KH will be easy to bring down in pHbut susceptible to pH crashes... water high in KH is harder to acidify...but more stable...the trick is to find a balence....thru trial and error and accurate measurements.

hth,
al

[Double Up]

Bilbo, you use hydrochloric/sulfuric acid to lower Ph? dang!. Tested the RO I'm getting from the shop and it is on the acidic side - 6.4 roughly. Shouldnt RO be a neutral 7? Either way, My breeding pair are up and about today after lowering the TDS a bit and a massive tank cleaning/WC good to see as they were a bit lathargic as of late. I think the Ph/TDS/kH was jumping around due to my tap/RO ratio mixing experiments. If I use peat, do I just place a bag in the tank and monitor ph?

[jhamil]

Bilbo, you use hydrochloric/sulfuric acid to lower Ph? dang!. Tested the RO I'm getting from the shop and it is on the acidic side - 6.4 roughly. Shouldnt RO be a neutral 7? Either way, My breeding pair are up and about today after lowering the TDS a bit and a massive tank cleaning/WC good to see as they were a bit lathargic as of late. I think the Ph/TDS/kH was jumping around due to my tap/RO ratio mixing experiments. If I use peat, do I just place a bag in the tank and monitor ph?
Hi, in order for peat to work properly it mus be in your filter and water must flow through it.

[jhamil]

Bilbo, you use hydrochloric/sulfuric acid to lower Ph? dang!. Tested the RO I'm getting from the shop and it is on the acidic side - 6.4 roughly. Shouldnt RO be a neutral 7? Either way, My breeding pair are up and about today after lowering the TDS a bit and a massive tank cleaning/WC good to see as they were a bit lathargic as of late. I think the Ph/TDS/kH was jumping around due to my tap/RO ratio mixing experiments. If I use peat, do I just place a bag in the tank and monitor ph?
I also use an acid Buffer. To me is stable and it does not take as much to lower the PH as other products

[Double Up]

Using just discus buffer and NOT neutral lowers pH without raising the tds I have just found!

[caparzo]

I may have to try some peat.