How to lower PH
 

This is embarassing :redface: , but it has been a while since I have to do this. How do you lower PH? Is it vinegar??????

What's your pH at these days?

My PH in my FRESHWATER tank is around 7.5. I have Cardinal Tetras so I want to reduce the ph to about 6. I could go out and buy the stuff from the LFS, but I am too cheap so what is the home remedy.

If you're talking household stuff then I guess vinegar would work, although I've never used it before.

6.0 is a little low don't you think? I'm sure you'd be fine with 6.5, or even neutral 7.0 for the cardinals IMO.

JMHO, but I would leave pH alone. Once you start tinkering with pH, you also alter the alkalinity of the water. If you aren't paying attention to the alk while lowering the pH, you could really upset the balance and get large daily pH swings. IME, tetras don't mind a pH of 7.5.

7.5 is in an acceptable range. Though not optimal, the fish will adapt to it and be quite healthy and happy. If you are concerned and check the ph of your water supply. If it is lower than 7.5(ish) it is probaly something in your tank such as a rock or decoration that is causing it. As for vinigar, I don't recommend it or playing with buffers. All you will get is unstable ph that will swing wildly and stress the fish far more than a constant ph level even though high.

The tannins released from a chuck of mopani wood should drop the pH a bit. Of course the water will be brown, but tetras are from that environment anyway. Soaking it first for a week removes a lot of this coloring. Just a thought...

Our tap water was around 6 the last time I checked a couple of years ago.
Is it not anymore? The only way I could raise it was to add crushed coral to the tank. The water here was always perfect for tetra's without any help.






Jeff

If you have plants you can inject co2. It lowered mine from about 8 to 6.5. Plants grew like they were on steroids :)

Walter

Thanks for all the wonderful inputs; I am going to leave it and since I was going to decorate the tank, I might as well stick a pc of mopani wood in as per Brad. Thanks guys.