is there any way to raise ph in my fishtank w/i buying PH up?

Question

any other cheaper way

Answer 1

Ashley gave you some good ways of doing this, but wanted to add a few comments and one clarification.

Two types of rock are sold under the name tufa, one is a dark reddish, and the other tan to white. It's only the last one that's made of carbonates.

I also wonder why you feel you need to change the pH. Most fish are adaptable to a range 6-8, so it soesn't need to be a perfert 7.0. Some species do have a higher pH requirement (African cichlids, for instance), so if you have these, it's understandable to need to change your water chemistry. If you fish isn't one that requires the high pH, high hardness environment, consider if your tap water has a lower pH, every time you do a water change, the pH will fluctuate. This can be harder on the fish than just leaving the level where it is originally.

Answer 2

You can use crushed coral substrate or aragonite substrate. They are found in the saltwater supplies section in almost every pet store. I know these work because they are used for African cichlids frequently because they require higher pH than other tropical fish from south america. You can generally find this for a reasonable cost. It would cost a bit more than PH up at first but it would be more efficient in the long run.

There is also rock that is called Texas holey rock which is a great way to maintain a higher pH as well. The drawback on this rock is that it is expensive. (unless you live by a quarry in Texas of course)

Try to stay away from driftwood as well. The wood will gradually lower you pH and keep it down.

Answer 3

For my high hardness, high ph fish I use a coral substrate. If you are specifically referring to Tanganykan cichlids I think Kent sells trace elements specific to this lake and Malawi though these are expensive. You are always better off trying to raise and breed your fish in your local water first before starting to adjust it. I know for some species you'll have to make adjustments though I find that is far fewer species than people claim.

Answer 4

Adding things like rocks containing carbonates (often calcium carbonate) will increase pH (as well as increasing hardness, so be aware of that). They slowly dissolve, releasing HCO3- ions into the water, which make it more alkaline.
Things like tufa rock, and chalk and other white powdery rocks contain carbonates.

Hope this helps

Ashley

PS Take out woods (which decrease pH by releasing chemicals), and plants and things, and make sure you take out any rotting things.

Answer 5

A bag of seashells placed in your tank will increase the PH.

Read on.
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