Peat Moss or Lime Juice?

**irob** · 05-24-2010, 07:55 PM

I'm wanting to try using peat moss to lower my ph. I have German Blue Rams that probably don't like the 8.2 ph water coming out of my tap. My drift wood seems to be bringing it down no lower than 8.0.

Is this a special peat moss that you buy or just the stuff at Lowes and Home Depot? I'm guessing that you just fill up a media bag with the stuff and stick it in your filter. Correct? Should you run some water though the bag in the sink first just to clean it up a bit?

Will this give me unhealthy ph swings or keep things stable?

Just kidding about the lime juice but I bet that would work too. :)

Any advice would be appriciated. I'm flying blind with this one.

**aquariums+me=happy** · 05-24-2010, 09:24 PM

Well I don't know about the moss but I do know that crushed oister shells keep the ph stable.

**Lady Hobbs** · 05-24-2010, 09:31 PM

Oyster shells will cause pH to rise.

You could get the regular aquarium peat, put it in a bag and run it right in the filter. But some of that stuff will help for a time but not for the long term. Hopefully your fish will just adapt to that higher pH. Ofcourse there is always RO water if you can afford it or haul in bottled water. Not a very likeable situation there.

**SunSchein89** · 05-24-2010, 09:47 PM

CO2 would lower pH too. Not sure that this is the easiest or most practical way, but it would work anyway. If you already have some plants in there, it may be worth looking into to do two things at once.

**EmmanuelJB** · 05-24-2010, 09:51 PM

I wouldn't change it. Just keep your water quality very good. My GBR's are living in a 20 gallon with a pH bit over 8.2 and they are doing well. They are doing so well they have actually paired up and bred in that water.

Good Luck!!

**rich311k** · 05-24-2010, 10:05 PM

I agree if the fish are doing well then leave it alone.

**Cermet** · 05-24-2010, 11:25 PM

The German peat I use lowered my KH and GH by 50% (from GH 3 to 2; and KH from 2 to 1). I have a 75 gal tank and needed only about 1/4 cup in the filter bag to achieve these results; I have made five 20% water changes before I took my reading, so the stuff seems to both work and last. Very nice results - it might have rasied my pH a bit (not sure.)