7 replies to this topic

[El Todd]

I've heard that oak leaves can reduce the ph in an aquarium, but I have never tried it before. I have a 130 gallon tank I'm trying to set up for banded sunfish so I want the ph to go down to 6.8. What quantity of oak leaves should I try using? Does it work as well as peat moss? 

[minorhero]

Anything that releases tannins reduced ph but in practice if using tap water there is usually a limit that can not be overcome using practical amounts. I would use leaves (oak or other) in an amount that you find aesthetically pleasing. Beyond that don't count on them working miracles. Peat is similar.

[El Todd]

thank you for the advice. I'm at 7.4 now - maybe I should also use RO water to bring it down.

[Jconte]

You need to start with a relatively soft, low alkalinity water. Diluting tap water with RO or demineralized water is a good way to achieve this. A pH of 6.8 isn’t particularly acidic and show be easily achieved if you start with low levels of bicarbonates.

[Matt DeLaVega]

I agree. Tap water usually has quite a bit of buffering capacity. Even when lowering mine with muriatic acid it took weeks. It would drop in pH then rebound. Rainwater or RO is probably the only way to avoid this. I do have some serious hard water here.

[gerald]

Silver Spring MD tap water is probably not as hard as your Ohio water Matt.  Raleigh NC water has high pH at the tap (7.5 to 8.2) due to NaOH added to prevent pipe corrosion, but it is SOFT and pH drops fast once the little bit of buffering (1 to 2 degrees GH and KH) is used up.  I suspect Silver Spring water is more like Raleigh's than like mid-west water.  I mix tap with rain water for softwater species.

[midwest]

I've kept fish for a long time but am fairly new to natives so my advise might be way off as I am not familiar with banded sunfish. My thought is its easier to slowly acclimate your fish and get them to survive in your water than to try to constantly adjust ph and keep it at a certain level. My experience has been that many fish can survive ph that is not ideal and you can pound your head against the wall trying to keep it consistent if altering it from the source.

[El Todd]

I've kept fish for a long time but am fairly new to natives so my advise might be way off as I am not familiar with banded sunfish. My thought is its easier to slowly acclimate your fish and get them to survive in your water than to try to constantly adjust ph and keep it at a certain level. My experience has been that many fish can survive ph that is not ideal and you can pound your head against the wall trying to keep it consistent if altering it from the source.

What you're saying about pH is true for most fish - and has been true for any fish I've ever kept. Unfortunately banded sunfish are a little bit more picky about pH according to most sources I've read. They will live but not necessarily thrive or have good color at higher pH levels.