Acidifying Water

To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com
Subject: Acidifying Water
From: tmarch at primenet_com (Todd March)
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1996 17:57:28 -0700

Nick, in dreary Seattle, asked:

>I need a recommendation abotu how to change the pH in my tank and
>buffer it safely.  The tap water is over 8, and I'd like 6.5-7.  I
>used Acidifier to lower it at first, but it bounced back quickly and
>then I read the bottle and found that it was Sodium MonoPHOSPHATE
>(argh).  Anyway, I can get almost any chemical imaginable- I just
>need to know a safe recipe for changing the pH and buffering it that
>won't harm the fish or help out the algae (a CO2 system is in the
>works- but it will be a while before I can change the pH that way).


I like Seachem's Acid Buffer; it is phosphate and carbonate free, and it is
very good at stabilizing Ph (in the 4.0- 6.8 range) while it is being
slowly lowered. It is "delicate" enough to be used to lower the Ph in reef
aquaria as well.

They also make a great Alkaline Buffer to raise the Ph as well.

Todd
tmarch at primenet_com

Los Angeles, CA