How to lower the pH in the aquarium?

Beginning aquarists sometimes just take their heads on the number of different points that need to be considered before starting a fish. This is the shape of the aquarium, and its size, and lighting parameters, and water hardness, and many other characteristics. One of them, which is of great importance, is the pH level of water.

Many do not attach much importance to this indicator. This is a mistake, because it is it that significantly affects the comfort of fish and plants in the tank. PH is an extremely important indicator., because this scale is an indicator of the level of alkalinity and acidity of water.

Many experts suggest that its slightest change has an extremely detrimental effect on the inhabitants of the aquarium. After all, water having a pH of 6.5 will be much more acidic than water, which has an index of 0.1 points more. For some reason, it is believed that all representatives of the fauna in natural conditions live in water with a relatively narrow and stable pH level. Therefore, aquarists suggest that fish do not have the ability to adapt to changes in these indicators and die at the slightest deviation.

In fact, the pH level of water in natural conditions is quite unstable. For example, in the Indian Ocean this parameter will be higher during the day than at night. It is also higher in the spring, and decreases in the autumn. This is due to the ingress of leaves into the water and their subsequent decay, as well as various precipitation, in particular, monsoon rains.

Acidity standards range from 0 to 14.The minimum level is 0.14. This means that water has the highest alkalinity. The neutral environment will be at indicator 7. A low pH indicates a high content of hydrogen ions, which is why the water is acidic. A high pH indicates a high content of hydroxide ions, which makes the water alkaline. A neutral will have a neutral pH value. It is such with an indicator in the range of 5.5 - 7.5.

Most fish live in water with a pH of 5.5 to 9. But there are species that can adapt to deviations of this indicator both upward and downward. In general, the inhabitants of the aquarium will calmly react to the fact that the water on this indicator does not meet the required. When keeping fish, the characteristic does not matter too much. But when it comes to dilution, the role of the magnitude of the acidity of water is difficult to overestimate.

Before considering this issue, you should understand why it is generally considered a decrease in this level, and not an increase. The fact is that in most cases tap water is used for aquariums. Its pH level is relatively stable and is 8. For almost all fish species, this indicator will be comfortable. But if we talk about the content of some more demanding fish, for example, Ramirez apistograms, discus or some labyrinth, then you will have to change the hardness of the water and lower the water pH. You can use the following methods for this.

• Aeration of water. If you carry out aeration of 20 liters of water for about 4 hours, then the level will rise from 7.8-7.9 to 8.6.
• Adding decorations to the ground. The soil that is in the tank plays a serious role in the formation of the indicator in question. Any jewelry or attributes - fossils, corals, snags can increase water hardness, and therefore, affect the change in the considered characteristics.
• Adding nitrates. This method is not recommended, but it is sometimes used. Nitrates lower pH. But the greater their content in the tank, the greater the harm to fish and algae is caused.
• Increase in water temperature. This will increase its acidity.
• A change in the amount of water in the tank causes fluctuations in the characteristic under consideration.
• The presence of plants reduces the pH level. It will be very clearly visible day and night. Light determines the process of photosynthesis in plants. CO2 is absorbed, oxygen is released. This increases the indicator in question. And at night, the aquarium flora breathes, and oxygen is absorbed, which regulates this characteristic in the opposite direction.
• Artificial increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the tank, which is usually carried out to accelerate plant growth, also reduces the parameter under consideration.

One way to lower the level of this indicator will be driftwood. The essence of the method is that wood emits tannins that oxidize water. To implement this method, you will need to take either one large snag or several small snags and rinse them well in tap water. After that, they should be lowered to the bottom of the fish tank. A slow and systematic decrease in the indicator in question will begin, which will be a serious advantage, because the fish will not feel anything.

Another way is to use peat or its crumbs. You can buy it at any pet store or garden bench. It should be packed in a small bag and placed in an aquarium filter. If there is no filter or it is not possible to place it there, then a lining under the ground is carried out. It is changed every 2 weeks. Peat plays the same role as driftwood - smoothly lowers the pH level. The only thing worth watching is that the peat laid under the ground does not begin to rot. There are 2 more methods of adding peat to the tank:

• like a decoction;
• as an extract.

If a variant with a decoction was chosen, then for its preparation it is necessary to boil peat in distilled water. There should be about 5 grams of peat per liter of water. This should be done for about 30 minutes, until the water turns dark brown. The resulting broth should be passed through a sieve so that no impurities remain in it. It is poured into the aquarium in small portions so that it is distributed as evenly as possible.

If you decide to add peat extract, you should know that it is a liquid conditioner that allows you to create the effect of the so-called "black water", which is usually characteristic of the river basin in South America. The extract is made on the basis of peat extract, it also has tannin, humic acids and hormones. Its use allows you to have a beneficial effect on fish, as well as improve plant growth.

It makes it easier to care for the most fastidious and valuable fish species, as well as create conditions for reproduction. The use of this extract on an ongoing basis makes it possible to slightly reduce the light transmission of water, due to the arrest of algae growth. In addition, this extract has antibacterial and antifungal effects on water.

Another way is the use of alder broth. To do this, take the brown cones of this tree. The more of them, the richer and higher quality the broth will be. If water acidification is required to be carried out quickly, then the broth will need to be made of 6 cones. In 17 days, it will reduce the acidity of water by about 3.8 points. But here you need to understand that a sharp decrease will lead to stress in fish. Therefore, if the situation is uncritical, then it is better to make a decoction of 1-2 cones and lower this indicator gradually.

Another method of reducing water acidity is to lower the hardness of the water. The fact is that high carbonate hardness makes water practically immune to various acid control technologies. If the methods described above do not give a positive effect, or it is not as pronounced as we would like, then we can put a reverse osmosis filter. Thanks to it, the degree of carbonate hardness of water can be reduced by reducing the content of minerals. After that, acid is added to the water, which lowers the pH value. As a rule, orthophosphoric is used. And then the hardness of the water is restored with the help of special mineral additives.

There is another way - adding tea. It is rich in tannins, amino acids and alkaloids, which together can help lower the pH level of the water in the aquarium. But before its application it is necessary to measure the exact value of this indicator. If we talk about black tea, then per 100 liters of water you usually need to pour from 40 to 70 milliliters of the drink. When using green, the concentration should be significantly less, because it is more saturated with these substances.

If the dosage is exceeded, it is necessary to replace part of the water with fresh water as soon as possible, increase its aeration and pour about 25 milliliters of hydrogen peroxide into 100 liters of water. This will help minimize the effect of green tea on aquarium inhabitants. In general, there are many ways to lower the pH in an aquarium. But before using any of the above methods and methods, you need to know exactly the pH level in the aquarium.

See how to lower the pH in an aquarium in the next video.