aquarium PH ?

Question

I have a 10 gallon tank, but its really 8 gallons of water because of the gravel and decorations. I have a high Ph of 8, I want to lower , with one dose of ph down , how much many points will it lower the PH? I am new to owning an aquarium and I dont want my betta to go in shock

Answer 1

The ph level in my betta tank is high as well, it depends on where you live. I wouldn't suggest EVER using these ph droppers or raisers because as soon as you drop it in the water it dramatically drops/increases the ph, and even a couple of degrees can be harmful to your fish when done fast. It is a different story if you use a natural buffer.

If you want to get this PH down, although unecesary, you can always try to get a real peice of driftwood, boil it to get the bacteria off it, then put it in your tank. Real driftwood is known as a natural buffer.

Answer 2

Your betta will be okay in a pH of 8.

There's no telling how much a chemical will change your pH because this depends on the amount of natural buffers in your water. If your pH is 8, you have a lot of buffering! The problem with using a chemical is that it will only fix the pH temporarily - your fish's respiration, wastes, live plants, and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere will all play with your pH readings. It's much simpler (and less expensive) to just use what you've got and you'll keep a more consistant reading - fish like steady, not fluctuating.

I've kept and bred bettas in water with a higher pH than yours, so there's nothing to be concerned about. If you're altering the pH now, do the next few water changes (about 20% of the tank volume) with untreated water and he'll gradually adapt to the higher pH.

Answer 3

Don't use ph down.
Get a ph regulator (approx. $10 at pet store) either powder formula or liquid. I personally use the powder, I just disolve the powder in a glass of tank water, then pour in mixed solution. The seachem is safe to use everyday until your ph gets to the desired level. Visit site below for complete information. The regulator will help adjust the water ph level, as well as adjust the fish as the ph levels change b/c the regulator works slowly but very effectively.

Answer 4

IF you lower the pH, do it very gradually...the fish could go into shock if you do it suddenly. Lower slowly to pH 7 or so..if your Betta is doing well, why bother?

Answer 5

what is wrong with a PH of 8 for a betta remember tropical fish are use to harder water which have higher Ph levels.

Answer 6

Stability is the key to PH. Adding chemicals to decrease or increase the PH will cause more harm than good. There are ways to lower the PH naturally however this will flux every time you do a water change. Bog woods or Peats added tot he tank will slowly lower the PH.

Here is more on PH and how it works in your tank and with your fish:

The property of water to resist changes in pH is known as buffering capacity. You can determine the capacity of your buffering system by measuring total hardness. A reading of 4-6 dH or higher is usually adequate to keep the buffering system in place and maintain a stable pH. A reading under 4 dH means there isn't enough of a buffering system and the pH is likely to drop. For higher pH levels, you will probably want to aim for 6-12 dH. Many hobbyists choose to measure only Carbonate Hardness (KH), which is a measure of the calcium carbonates in your water. This test is also effective in maintaining a proper buffer system. When testing for Carbonate Hardness, a reading of 75-100 mg/L is adequate for most aquariums, while a reading of 100-200 mg/L would be desired for higher pH levels. For the purpose of freshwater aquariums, measuring either total hardness or carbonate hardness is necessary, but measuring both independently would not be needed.

You need to know that anywhere in your aquarium where detritus (a fancy term for dirt) accumulates is a source of Phosphate production. As detritus accumulates in your gravel bed and on your filter pads, the Phosphate levels in your aquarium rise. Free Phosphate ions may bond with calcareous buffering material, precipitating calcium from your aquarium, and reducing your aquariums ability to keep pH stable. This is why it is so very important to clean your filter pads regularly and vacuum the aquarium gravel with each water change. In addition, your tap water contains buffering ions. Doing regular partial water changes will help to replenish the buffers which have been lost. This is important in all aquariums, because fish respiration and organic wastes alone will cause a gradual drop in the ability of your aquarium to buffer against pH swings.

Now the question becomes what to do if the fish you want to keep have very special pH requirements. If your fish prefer a pH level which is reasonably close to the pH your aquarium water is naturally buffered to, then I do not recommend you make any changes at all. Unless you are keeping an extremely specialized fish your fish will be fine. On the other hand, if your fish have pH requirements which are far from the values in your tank, then you have work to do.

Let us consider methods of raising the pH of your tap water. There are many additives on the market today which claim to raise your pH. Most of the liquid products on the market today are a 50/50 success at best when used alone only to find the ph will soon return to the normal level of 6. You also need to use a product to increase the buffering ability of your aquarium. To maintain a stable pH in the upper levels of the pH scale for fishkeeping, I would recommend using a buffering substrate such as crushed coral. You can add crushed coral to your existing aquarium. You can place larger amounts of shells or chrushed coral beneath the substraight in the tank. I personally place the crushed coral in a mesh bag and place the bag in my filter. You will want about 1 kg of crushed coral per 40 liters of water to buffer the water to hold a pH around 7.6. This method does not allow for the use of large quantities of crushed coral, but can be effective if you only need to make small adjustments to your aquariums buffering ability. This is why ocean items such as shells and ocean sand should not be used in a fresh water aquarium. It does raise the PH level.

Be assured that attempting to control pH is the most frustrating experience for a fish hobbyist. I would guess that 50% of the problems encountered in new aquariums are a result of the aquarist attempting to change the pH level. Few fish keepers actually need to adjust their pH. For the majority of aquarists your tap water pH will be adequate. The dangers of adjusting the pH incorrectly far outweigh any benefit you may receive by moving your pH a few points on the scale.

Remember, when it comes to adjusting your pH, less is more! Stability is most important. Routine maintenance is the key to keeping your pH stable and your fish healthy!

Also, do not use baking soda in your tank. Over doing the ph plus adding additional salt is not going to do your tank any good. It will also revert back to 6 when the carbon filters pull the Soda out.
Hope this helps