Lowering pH

[Pebble6852]

Hello!

So, my tap water is a little on the high side (around 8) and I know axys prefer around 7.6. I was wondering how to go about lowering it? All other parameters are good (ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate ~20) and I also have a chiller keeping my water at 63 degrees. Tank is 20 gal. I have been researching, and I saw that driftwood can help but I also saw others saying it barely does anything. I also saw Indian almond leaves and peat moss can be used but I wanted to ask here before doing anything to make sure it was ok! I have a canister filter I can easily add the leaves/moss/whatever into as well. I would prefer not to have discolored water, so if there’s a way to do it without discoloration that would be awesome but ofc I’m more concerned with keeping him in a good environment.

 

[wolfen]

initially driftwood will reduce ph due to the tannins but over time less tannins are released so it becomes less effective.
peat balls can be brought and placed in the filter to reduce ph (commonly used for discus tanks) but it will soften the water where as axolotls prefer moderate/hard water.
almond/catappa leaves produce some tannins but the effect is negligible on the ph.
dark/yellow water is better for axolotls and is more natural although not for everybody's taste.
ph down etc.. can be used to reduce ph.
test kh gh, if kh high but gh low remineralising can help reduce ph, ie.. 0.05-0.1g/l calcium chloride will combine with the kh in the water producing calcium carbonate which will reduce and buffer ph, this can also be done using a 50% modified holtfreters solution (using magnesium sulphate instead of bicarbonate of soda) more info here.. Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity

 

[Pebble6852]

initially driftwood will reduce ph due to the tannins but over time less tannins are released so it becomes less effective.
peat balls can be brought and placed in the filter to reduce ph (commonly used for discus tanks) but it will soften the water where as axolotls prefer moderate/hard water.
almond/catappa leaves produce some tannins but the effect is negligible on the ph.
dark/yellow water is better for axolotls and is more natural although not for everybody's taste.
ph down etc.. can be used to reduce ph.
test kh gh, if kh high but gh low remineralising can help reduce ph, ie.. 0.05-0.1g/l calcium chloride will combine with the kh in the water producing calcium carbonate which will reduce and buffer ph, this can also be done using a 50% modified holtfreters solution (using magnesium sulphate instead of bicarbonate of soda) more info here.. Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity

Awesome, thank you!! Would the ph down be a fine permanent solution? The pet store near me sells it so it easily accessible for me. I am 90% sure my tap water is fairly hard as well. I don’t have a kh/Gh tester but I can get that if I need to check!

 

[wolfen]

you would have to check directions but I assume it would need replacing at water change (because it will be in the water any water removed would also contain it and therefore need replacing).

 

[Pebble6852]

you would have to check directions but I assume it would need replacing at water change (because it will be in the water any water removed would also contain it and therefore need replacing).

Ahh okay, he is due for a water change soon so I’ll add the ph down in the next batch of water. It’s the API one it just says to add 2 drops per gallon.
(Edit: I just realized that what I said was a little confusing, I meant is it a permanent solution as in I can just keep using it each water change, not like it would last forever)

 

[wolfen]

make sure to retest after twenty four hrs to make sure the ph is lowered as high kh will buffer ph and bring it back up, if the ph stays down then it can be used as a permanent solution, if it doesn't stay down then altering the kh should reduce it.
kh should be 3°-8° (54-143) gh should be 7°-14° (125-250)

 

[Pebble6852]

make sure to retest after twenty four hrs to make sure the ph is lowered as high kh will buffer ph and bring it back up, if the ph stays down then it can be used as a permanent solution, if it doesn't stay down then altering the kh should reduce it.
kh should be 3°-8° (54-143) gh should be 7°-14° (125-250)

Hi!
So, I just retested my water after 24 hours of adding the ph down, but I didn’t really notice a difference. Maybe a little bit. I did only add half the recommended dose though because I didn’t know how much it would change and didn’t want to shock him.
Also, I was wondering if it was necessary to keep messing with it? I was doing some reading around in the meantime and I saw a few things saying it’s better on them to live in the slightly higher pH than to keep fluctuating it. My tap water is around 7.8 and after I add the prime it is around 8 which I know is on the high side but idk if it’s better to leave it at 8 or not. I also wouldn’t mind just replacing a piece of driftwood to naturally lower the ph a little, as long as it’s not needing replaced every week lol. Just some thoughts I had! Thank you for all your advice

 

[wolfen]

axolotls can survive quite happily at ph 8 although it is at the limit of tolerance, prime shouldn't raise the ph (according to seachem anyway) although it has also been reported as lowering ph, it could be your tap water chemistry that is causing ph changes (get a glass of tap water, leave 24hrs and test if ph changes) this could be down to absorbed co2 (co2 in water causes it to be acidic, as co2 vents off the water returns to it's normal ph) or high chloramines (dechlorinators remove the chlorine from chloramines leaving ammonia that is alkali).

 

[Pebble6852]

axolotls can survive quite happily at ph 8 although it is at the limit of tolerance, prime shouldn't raise the ph (according to seachem anyway) although it has also been reported as lowering ph, it could be your tap water chemistry that is causing ph changes (get a glass of tap water, leave 24hrs and test if ph changes) this could be down to absorbed co2 (co2 in water causes it to be acidic, as co2 vents off the water returns to it's normal ph) or high chloramines (dechlorinators remove the chlorine from chloramines leaving ammonia that is alkali).

Ahh okay, the reason I said that about the prime is that I added some to my vial of pure tap water to see if that could be causing it and it went from ~7.8 to 8. Probably because of the chlorine. I’ll do that 24hr water test and come back with the results : )