How to decrease ph in a fish tank

Question

hi, in my fish tank, all of our fish died ( we had them for a few years) we completely cleaned the tank, the gravel, plants, etc. then about a week later we got fish ( yesterday). We tested the ph, and it is way high, and no matter how much of this ph decrease that we bought goes into the tank, the ph does not go down. Anyone know a different way?

Answer 1

You said you cleaned everything and then a week later got more fish?  Are you aware of the cycling process?  I'd be more concerned about the amounts of ammonia and nitrites right now than the pH.  

And once you go down the slippery slope of trying to alter the pH of water, you're just asking for trouble.  Water tends to want to revert to its original pH, no matter what chemicals you add.  And with every change in pH (8 to 7, or 5 to 6, etc.), the effects are felt tenfold by your fish.  Going from one number pH to the next could be fatal to your fish - the sudden change is often too much for them to handle.  You may be able to bring down the pH temporarily, but it will most often revert and your fish will be subject to damage or death with the pH changing all the time.

I live in the South, and the pH of the water is 8+.  I've had no trouble keeping fish in that water, conditioned and straight out of the tap.

In case you need info about cycling, I copied this from another question I answered: (sorry if this is too much info...)

All tanks need cycling! Like every living thing, waste is produced through breathing and excretion from digestive processes. In layman's terms, fish produce waste products from breathing and pooping. All fish do this. A cycled tank has the right balance of good bacterial colonies present that convert the fish waste product (ammonia, harmful to fish) to nitrite (also harmful), then nitrite to nitrate (safe up to a certain level). Without these good bacteria, waste products build up in the water and cause damage to fish gills and internal organs. Think about a fish swimming around in it's own pee/p**p - yuck.

Okay, the process... There are many methods and experts won't agree on which is the best. The best method for YOU is the one you can do in its entirety, from set up to cycled without causing harm (or death) to fish.

You can choose to cycle with fish, but you risk damaging or killing your fish if you don't watch the waste levels closely and take corrective steps. Cycling without fish is a great way to achieve results without endangering fish, but it can be more difficult. Either way, patience is necessary to see the process through. It can take well over a month to properly cycle a tank.

Cycling with fish - get a few small fish and introduce into your tank. Test daily for ammonia and nitrite for the first couple of weeks. You must perform tests with liquid drop kits or test strips, although test strips aren't as accurate. If you are cycling with fish, I recommend the liquid kits. You'll see a gradual increase in ammonia first, then after a time a gradual increase in nitrite. Both of these can be reduced with frequent partial water changes. Make sure you use some sort of water conditioner because chlorine will kill any beneficial bacteria colonizing in your filter media, and your tank will never cycle. Both ammonia and nitrite will reach their maximum and then you'll begin seeing nitrates. Gradually, your ammonia and nitrite levels will reduce to zero. A tank is cycled when ammonia and nitrite levels are zero and you have nitrates (the end product of your bacteria colonization).

Cycling without fish would require you having access to at least a handful of gravel from an already cycled tank or some filter media from an already cycled tank. The cycling process will proceed as above, but you'll need to find some sort of ammonia to "feed" the developing bacterial colonies. Some recommend distilled ammonia being added every other day or so. Some recommend "feeding" your tank with fish food, a little bit a day. The uneaten food will fall and begin to decay, producing ammonia.

There's lots of info on the web - do your research. Filters are "beds" where the good bacteria colonize. Once properly cycled, they should take care of the ammonia and nitrites. But they won't take care of the nitrates, which can be harmful to your fish if not kept at low levels.

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Since you cleaned everything, your biological filter (the good bacteria colonies) need to re-establish.  You'll need to test frequently for any presence of ammonia and nitrites.  I'd say as long as your pH doesn't exceed 8 or 8.5, don't worry about it.

Good luck.    

Answer 2

when you "cleaned" it what did you use?? chemicals ..

and what do you call a way high ph level???

Answer 3

for acquarium v should use borewell water. the complete water must be from borewell we should not add drinking water to it.