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How to lower alkalinity2007-11-24 23:34:57

It's freshwater

Answers:

You need to change the buffering capacity of the water.

The easiest solution is to introduce Tannins. These can be found in driftwood or peat.

Check out petsmart or petco for Fluval Peat Granules. These work by indroducting the tannins into the tank. You can control how much enters by the amount you use. You need to replace the pellets once they turn black. Soak them first in a ziploc bag with clean water, and all air removed for 24 hours, otherwise they will float and clog your filter. Or, you can use them in mesh bags or panty hose. Rinse clean first to remove dust.

Keep an eye on the pH, if it swings too low too fast you will cause shock in your fish and could potentially kill them.

If you don't see a pH change at all, then don't continue to bother. Many water supplies won't shift if the GH and kH are too high.

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Add lemon to make it alkaline.

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by increasing acidity.

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Alkalinity is the buffering capacity of the water in your aquarium. If the alkalinity is high it will be very difficult to lower the pH.

Your first step would be to purchase an alkalinity test kit or KH test kit so that you know how high the alkalinity / KH is. I found the aquarium pharmaceuticals KH test kit to be very easy to use.

Once you have determined the current KH or alkalinity the next step is to lower it.

Mixing distilled or reverse osmosis water (Can be found at grocery stores) with tap water will help you lower the KH because both distilled and reverse osmosis water have been stripped of almost all of their minerals.

Be very careful not to lower the KH in the aquarium too much, this could cause massive PH fluctuations that could kill your fish.

Most KH test kits will have recommendations for KH levels.