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Fish n' Chips
"Does anyone know of a cheap source for potassium dihydroten phosphate ?
We need to lower the PH in our tank. We have live plants and a 65 gallon
tank that is 5 weeks old. The 16 fish in the tank are tetras and barbs.
We know vinegar will bring the PH down but is it safe for fish ?"
Some people use vinegar, I prefer a bit of lemon juice on my fish......
But seriously........ your situation needs more explanation before the
correct answer can be given. In another post, your spouse/friend stated that
he was new with aquariums, so perhaps you are as well. Some questions:
-What is the pH of your tap water (measured after is has been drawn and
allowed to sit for a day) and what is the current pH of your aquarium water
(it won't necessarily be the same).
- What kind of substrate is in the tank? (does it contain calcium
carbonate?)
- Why do you feel the need to artificially lower the pH of the water?
The easiest and safest ways to lower the pH of water for an aquarium is to
either add CO2 or to use peat either as a pre-treatment, or in your filter
system. The depression of the pH is a side effect of adding CO2, not the
reason for adding it - Carbon is a necessary plant nutrient. Using phosphate
based "pH buffers" will generally make it more difficult to grow plants
without massive blooms of algae. A planted aquarium is not the same thing as
a "fish tank". Most fish and aquarium plants can live long and happy lives
over a range of pH values, it is rarely necessary to resort to adding acids
to bring it down. Have you read the information on the KRIB?
James Purchase
Toronto