CalmedByFish Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 I need to get my pH down, but increase GH and KH. Everything I'm finding online indicates that it's not possible to do both. (For what it's worth, I used pH Down yesterday to get the pH from 7.8 to 7.3. Only 3 hours later, it was back to 7.8.) Any idea how I can simultaneously decrease pH, and increase GH and KH? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 I think the answer is don't do it. I have very soft water and 7.8 ph. Moving your ph around is much more stressful than just keeping it stable. fish can regulate their internal ph just like humans. Some fish are sensitive but even the allegedly sensitive fish usually do fine up to 8-8.2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmedByFish Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 35 minutes ago, CT_ said: even the allegedly sensitive fish usually do fine up to 8-8.2. Is this the kind of thing where I should just watch the fishes' health and behavior, and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 3 minutes ago, CalmedByFish said: Is this the kind of thing where I should just watch the fishes' health and behavior, and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?" That is mostly the approach I take. The most sensitive and reliable indicator there is for water quality is the the behavior and health of the fish. If they are happy and eating and growing and breeding, then your water parameters are good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmedByFish Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 Thanks guys. It was just recently that I even learned that Nitrate levels need checked. My fish stopped eating about the same time someone pointed out that I should check. The Nitrates were through the roof, so I'm now nervous about messing up other things. I'm now learning fast, but there's SO much to learn! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsten Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 Depending on the fish, I'd rather boost the hardness if needed, with something gradual and stable like crushed coral, than mess with the pH. You can naturally help lower the pH with mopani wood or catalpa leaves, and things should find a nice equilibrium with that. You'll probably always stay at around neutral with those things working in tandem, but a stable pH is better than the "correct" pH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmedByFish Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 2 minutes ago, Kirsten said: I'd rather boost the hardness if needed, with something gradual and stable like crushed coral, than mess with the pH. You can naturally help lower the pH with mopani wood or catalpa leaves So I know ahead of time: Coral would cause the pH to be higher, right? And wood or leaves would make the water a bit tan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsten Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 34 minutes ago, CalmedByFish said: So I know ahead of time: Coral would cause the pH to be higher, right? And wood or leaves would make the water a bit tan? Yup, basically. Crushed coral will gently raise pH and KH (though it will significantly raise GH, especially if there's a lot of powder on it ). Driftwood and leaves will release tannins, not unlike black tea leaves, that will gently lower your pH and might make your tank water look a little amber. Live plants will also use minerals and will gradually soften the water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmedByFish Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 Oh I hadn't even thought about plants softening the water. I just got my first live ones a few days ago (to help with Nitrates), so I guess that's info I needed too! I'll make notes on what I've learned here. It's really helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric R Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 What's your gh and kh, and what were you hoping to get them to? What fish/plants/inverts are you wanting to keep? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 Why? What do you want to keep? Are they wild caught? I would leave well enough along. Always Remember- K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Stupid..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmedByFish Posted March 7, 2021 Author Share Posted March 7, 2021 On 3/5/2021 at 9:47 PM, ererer said: What's your gh and kh, and what were you hoping to get them to? What fish/plants/inverts are you wanting to keep? GH 11. KH 3. pH 7.8. Animals: 1 Angelfish, breeding Endlers, Malaysian Trumpet Snails. Nothing is wild caught. An African Dwarf Frog has her own tank. Plants: Vallisneria My thinking is that breeding fish and snail shells both need hard water, and that all the species need the pH around 7.0-7.5. I've found more people saying angels and endlers are good at a high pH. I know snails are. Is the ADF? I'm still not confident that the GH/KH is high enough for breeding, and for snail shells. (I'm not new to having fish, but certainly new to having knowledge about it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 7, 2021 Share Posted March 7, 2021 Add Calcium and Magnesium in a 2:1 ratio to increase GH. Add Potassium Carbonate to increase KH. Inject CO² to lower pH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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