The aquarium can be called home decoration. Harmoniously selected, it pleases the gaze of the hosts and guests. And this beauty needs care no less than other domestic animals. It would seem - fish. What care is needed for them? Swim themselves and swim.
Some of them need low pH water. Others require a high pH. Maintaining the cleanliness of the aquarium has not been canceled. But we will not walk in circles, we will move on to the main topic of the article.
What is pH?
How to lower the pH of the water? Before we start talking about this, let's remember what it is. This is a hydrogen indicator that determines the concentration of hydrogen ions in an aqueous medium.
The pH depends on whether the water is alkaline, acidic in it, or neutral.
PH standards
How to lower the pH of water for fish to make them comfortable? A little patience, we will get to this soon. First we find out which indicators indicate the acidity of water, which - about alkaline reactions, and which - about neutrality.
PH values 5.5-8.5? This suggests that the water is neutral. From 0 to 5.5 - acidity is increased. From 8.5 to 14 - a lot of alkali in the water.
Lower pH
Need to increase acid reactions in water? Then we need to think about how to lower the pH of the water. And most importantly - why?
Many fish feel comfortable at a neutral pH. But others just need high acidity. For example, aquatic inhabitants of the Amazon or lakes of West Africa. In addition, some representatives require a pH level of less than 5.5 for breeding.
How to lower the pH of the water in the aquarium? In two ways: improvised means or bought in a store.
Tools at hand
What is meant? Snags, peat crumbs, a decoction of alder cones. It is these funds, and not purchased, that experienced aquarists advise.
Ready? Then we begin to talk about them.
Driftwood
Need to acidify water? Snags will help us. In water, they secrete tannins, which contribute to acidification of the water, which means lowering the pH level.
One large snag or a few small ones are washed and lowered into the aquarium. And yet, nothing more needs to be done. The acidity level will decrease smoothly, this is a big plus. Fish will not fall into stress and do not die from shock.
Peat or peat crumbs
You can buy it at a pet store or in stores specializing in the sale of plants.
How to use peat? Stacked in a small bag and placed inside the aquarium filter. If this cannot be done, then granules or pieces are laid under the ground. Change every 14 days. Like driftwood, peat contributes to a slow decrease in pH in the aquarium.
In case of placing it under the ground, it is necessary to ensure that peat does not rot.
Alder broth
How to lower the pH in the aquarium? Using a decoction of alder brown cones. The more cones, the richer the broth. If you need to acidify water faster, then we recommend pouring a decoction of six cones into the aquarium. After 17 days, the pH level will drop from to 3.8.
Just remember that a sharp decrease in it leads to stress and shock for fish. The latter react to tinted water quite normally.
Why does water become alkaline?
We talked about how to lower the pH in an aquarium. More precisely, we figured out the means at hand, and a little later we get to the store ones. Let's talk about raising pH. Why is this happening?
The most common reason is a lot of sunlight entering the aquarium. Moreover, the light does not have to be real daylight. Constantly switched on lamps in the lid of the aquarium lead to rapid growth of plants. And then what happens is familiar to everyone from school - photosynthesis. Hence the rapid increase in pH in the aquarium.
If you need to increase the pH
How to increase or decrease the pH of water? If the second question is relatively clear, then the first is not very clear.
In order for the water in the aquarium to become alkaline, it is recommended to use aragonite. It is a mineral that is very rich in calcium. It is placed in water and it contributes to an increase in hardness and pH.
Why is the pH not decreasing?
How to lower the pH in the aquarium, we figured out. But what if nothing helps? The point is carbonate hardness. It is a barrier to lower acidity.
But this does not mean that carbonate hardness should be completely absent in the aquarium. On the contrary - it is useful. If it is not, then the pH will begin to fall rapidly. And constantly.
Do I need to add store funds?
It is clear that there is one continuous chemistry. Are the items purchased at the store safe for fish? How will they affect the pH of water? Is it that simple?
Aquarists with experience advise to avoid such methods. This is due to the fact that, in the aquarium, firstly, there is carbonate hardness, as we discussed above. And secondly, chemicals can cause a sharp fluctuation in pH. And they are quite painfully tolerated by fish. 30% of the tank population is at risk of dying.
Reverse osmosis
Acidity does not decrease due to the high carbonate hardness of water? Start by purifying the water through a reverse osmosis filter. This will ensure a low mineral content. The second step is to add improvised means to the water to reduce the pH: driftwood, a decoction of alder cones, peat or peat crumbs (in the filter).
There is absolutely no way to use natural materials? Then take the chance to turn to store funds. For example, to the Tetra or Sera line. These German companies specialize in producing products and feed for aquarium inhabitants. They have long been on the market and have proven themselves on the positive side.
Lower to the desired pH level, and then - restore hardness by adding the necessary mineral additives to the aquarium.
CO2 and pH
Did you know that carbon dioxide affects the pH level in water, lowering it? This is due to its dissolution in water, which leads to the formation of carbon dioxide. CO 2 is used for living plants. During the day, they absorb carbon dioxide, and at night, the reverse process occurs. Therefore, in the morning, the pH level can be low, and during the day it rises sharply.
What affects pH?
How to lower the pH in the aquarium, we learned. It remains to find out what affects the pH fluctuations in the "house for fish".
- Priming. If you do not want the pH level to jump back and forth, get the simplest soil in the form of pebbles or stones.
- Snags, as we have said, reduce acidity in the aquarium.
- Nitrates lower pH. But they are very harmful to fish, and nitrates should not be used to lower acidity.
- The high temperature of the water causes it to become more acidic.
- Plants. During the day, they release oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide. And at night it’s the opposite, which lowers the pH of the water.
How to determine the pH level?
What is needed to determine the pH level of water? This is done using test strips or an electronic tester.
Test strips are a common name. In fact, the test consists of litmus strips and chemicals. It is sold in pet stores, quite cheap and high quality. The error is 0.1-0.3.
The stripes change color depending on the amount of hydrogen ions.
As for the electronic tester, the opinions on this contraption are very twofold. Someone really likes, but someone is dissatisfied. It has significant disadvantages:
- The price of an electronic tester bites.
- It requires constant calibration, a special solution is needed. It should be fresh.
- The appliance is kept wet. And before use, it is thoroughly washed. If these requirements are not followed, then the risk of error in determining the pH level is high.
- The service life is one year.
Summarize
How to lower the pH level in the aquarium? The main aspects:
- With the help of natural means: snags, decoction of alder cones, peat or peat chips.
- Shop means.
What is safe for fish? Experienced aquarists recommend using improvised tools to lower the pH. To resort to "chemistry" in extreme cases. For it is extremely harmful to aquarium inhabitants - fish.
How to measure the pH level in water?
- Using an inexpensive test.
- Give preference to an electronic tester.
Conclusion
We talked in detail about how to lower the pH in the aquarium. This article is useful for those who have just started to get involved in fish and still do not know much. You do not have to search the Internet for information on this subject. Just open our article and read. Here you can find a lot of useful things for yourself.