# Dealing with Low PH



## ReillyP (Mar 2, 2016)

my water out of the tap is 6.6PH or lower and my 75 gallon is sitting at 6 right now. I use alkaline buffer by seachem on water changes but I am looking for a way to passively buffer. I have an Eheim 2028, an ac70, a large sponge filter in this heavily planted and hardscaped tank with ada aquasoil as the substrate (yes I know it lowers it but I thought it was meant to buffer it to 6.5 ?? ), I currently has only 1 betta and about 24 red cherry shrimp in it, I'm sitting about 30-40 ppm nitrate and near 0 ammonia and nitrite. I was told to use egg shells, crushed coral or shells of oysters to buffer but I don't know how much to use. Thanks for helping this new aquarist out!

Reilly


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I have used:
Crushed coral
Oyster shell
argonite sand

any or all to raise the PH


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## ReillyP (Mar 2, 2016)

mikebike said:


> I have used:
> Crushed coral
> Oyster shell
> argonite sand
> ...


where did you source your oyster shells? I wouldn't know where to start


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Are you injecting CO2? If not, you can use as much as you want of crushed coral since it won't dissolve very fast at all in our low hardness water. Is there some reason you want your pH higher? My cherry shrimp are doing just fine in pH of around 6.


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I bought a 50 LB sack at Otter Co-Op in Langley a few years ago fo less than $20.


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## ReillyP (Mar 2, 2016)

2wheelsx2 said:


> Are you injecting CO2? If not, you can use as much as you want of crushed coral since it won't dissolve very fast at all in our low hardness water. Is there some reason you want your pH higher? My cherry shrimp are doing just fine in pH of around 6.


I plan to add quite a few other and don't have the means to know if my PH is under 6 so I want to be on the safe side. Edit I do use CO2


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## ReillyP (Mar 2, 2016)

mikebike said:


> I bought a 50 LB sack at Otter Co-Op in Langley a few years ago fo less than $20.


unfortunately I don't live close to Langley


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

ReillyP said:


> I plan to add quite a few other and don't have the means to know if my PH is under 6 so I want to be on the safe side. Edit I do use CO2


If you use CO2 then there is really no way to boost your pH up while the CO2 is on unless you use very very little CO2. The injection of CO2 by its nature lowers pH as it forms acid in it's solution in the water. The simplest way to boost your pH is stop injecting CO2 if that is your objective. That's why some people use pH controllers to inject CO2. The shift in pH is transient while the CO2 is on.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

If you want crushed coral I'm sure King Ed likely has it in bulk quantities. 

But like 2wheelsx2 says, my pH drops when the co2 is on, comes back up when the co2 switches off for the day. 

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> If you want crushed coral I'm sure King Ed likely has it in bulk quantities.


Yep, that's where I get bulk crushed coral from.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Or....if you can't go to Langley or Burnaby. Trying stores in Vancouver such as North American pets on kingsway or main aquarium on main street. I know they both have prepackaged coral and oyster shells for under $10, good enough to last you a year or two or three or four.


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

pet stores sell it in the bird section as grit if you only need a small amount.
some nurserys sell it as a soil additive.


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## ReillyP (Mar 2, 2016)

thanks for all the help, I will be going to king ed's tomorrow so i'll probably grab some (along with who knows what else, I can never say no haha)


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## ReillyP (Mar 2, 2016)

Thanks all, I found an oyster shell out on the beach and bleached and boiled it before putting it in my tank. I also went to a few stores today and ended up getting some coral in media bags so I will see how the shell handles it first then possible switch to the coral.


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

break up, smash with hammer to make smaller piecies to get better effect.


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## Dou (Dec 4, 2015)

Not sure if this will help... but for some reason whenever I use seachem equilibrium my pH goes up... You can try that too and let me know if you experience the same thing. I know it says online that it shouldn't but it does for me and I've tested this soooo many times.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Dou said:


> Not sure if this will help... but for some reason whenever I use seachem equilibrium my pH goes up... You can try that too and let me know if you experience the same thing. I know it says online that it shouldn't but it does for me and I've tested this soooo many times.


That's cuz Seachem equilibrium contains calcium which helps buffer pH fluctuations.


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## Dou (Dec 4, 2015)

jobber said:


> That's cuz Seachem equilibrium contains calcium which helps buffer pH fluctuations.


Ohhhhh!!! Thanks for confirming x)


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Dou said:


> Ohhhhh!!! Thanks for confirming x)


No problem
Just gotta read the label and make some sense (coral = calcium). Good luck and happy dosing.


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