how do i lower the alkaline level in my fish tank?

Question

trying to set 40 gal tank up for freshwater. nitrate/nitrite levels look good but alkaline is really high.

Answer 1

Lower the alkaline level means make it more acidic...

Several ways,

Add peat to the filter...

Add Phosphoric Acid to the water

Add a proprietry PH LOWER liquid to the water

Add Vinegar to the water

Add Blackwater extract to the water


All of these would work, but personally I'd go for the peat as it would lower the pH and soften the water

Answer 2

This might not be a problem depending on the type of fish you have and your pH. The tendency is for tanks to become acidic and the water soft as time goes on and the fish dirty it up, so I wouldn't worry unless your fish are having problems. If you have African cichlids, the more alkaline the better, they like a really high pH and a tad of salt. A more alkaline tank has better buffering capacity as well, meaning that it will experience fewer shifts in pH, which can be hard on the fish. If your really worried, buy a piece of driftwood from the aquarium shop that is designed to be put in tank or some drops for breeding catfish and the like that have tannins in them (your pet shop people should help you there). I'd avoid screwing around with the water too much, that's the biggest mistake people make. If it doesn't straighten out on its own in a few days, and your fish are ok, count your blessings. I used to line all my freshwater African cichlid tanks with crushed coral to raise the alkalinity and use straight up hard tap water (with no chlorine of course) and they always bred better and were healthier even though the ph and alk were much higher than recommended. Don't forget to neutralize chlorine and put in cheap starter fish or African cichlids if you like them since they are pretty hardy, the nitrate/nitrite will be normal till the fish start crapping in the water, so don't be overconfident and have some ammo-clear on hand to keep their slime coat up and neutralize the ammonia. To jump start your tank, ask a reputable fish dealer for some aquarium water to add to your new tank to add nitrifying bacteria to prevent the deadly jump in ammonia/nitrates that can occur a few days after adding fish. This is invaluable. Or I found biozyme works really well with a biowheel or sponge filter. Add the water from the bag the fish came in. I would avoid plants till your tank is established or never since the decomposing material can turn your tank soft and acid and the plants rob the water of oxygen and fish just usually tear them up. Avoid snails, for eco, health and other reasons.

Answer 3

Depending on how high is....

most fish can acclimate to high alkalinity. Some need it - Old world cichlids for example. And brackish. but some just do better in soft water.

Is the water high out of the tap or just in the tank? If the tank you might want to look at your substrate - it might be buffering. If the tap, then not a lot of ways to lower. You can add driftwood - that can help some, some people use peat filters. Otherwise about the only thing to do is use RO water. dont use chemicals - they tend to make for swings which is worse than just having stable high.

Answer 4

Just change water and forget the 'levels'. Plain old drinking water out of your faucet is just fine for them all. You can't change the water too often. Idealy a tank would have water trickling in and an overflow draining all the time. Fish get diseases from not changing the water often enough and not keeping the tank and everything in the water system clean. Another big myth is you can't have 100 fish in a 5 gallon tank. That's baloney. All you have to do is keep the water clean. A heavily populated tank looks way better too, if you know how and care enough to keep it clean. Keep the fish all about the same size and don't get lobsters or puffers because they are killers. Feed them live worms and nothing else. Stir the gravel every day. It's nice to have a 1 gallon tank on the side for babies to sell. It's all about keeping the water clean.

Answer 5

if your fish tank were a swimming pool or hot tub it's done by adding a small amount of acid. if your pet store can't help then i suggest you dump the water out. go to the store and buy a lot of bottled water. the initial 40 gal. could be a little expensive but with a cover on the tank the evaporation will be small. a gallon after that should last a little while. i work in hotel maintenance at a casino and taking care of pools is part of my job. i've also had a couple of fish tanks over the years. good luck.

Answer 6

Use plain course sea salt which will also not harm your fresh water fish, it is actually used as a medicine for them as well, I never used to adjust my ph or my alkaline level even when I was breeding for the pet shops, and my fish was always healthy and the only thing I used in my tanks was salt, so give it a bash, believe me you will see the difference in your fish.

Answer 7

put into the tank PH enhancer. Put some plant to keep the alkaline level low.

Answer 8

You can add buffer but I'd just give it time, it will come down naturally. Alk really is just a measurement of many things. I'd be concerned only if you PH is way out of wack.