Fish Junkie Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 Has anyone heard or used Vinegar to lower PH ? FJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 I did some reading on google and it appears that it can be done, but is not advisable. A few questions. What ph do you currently have and what do you want to drop it down to ? Are there fish currently in the tank ? What size tank is it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brodie7744 Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 vinegar is a natural acid so yes it will work. but be very careful of how much you put in and add it slowly to a high flow area. us marine tank keepers dose it, carbon and or even vodka all of which are safe at low amounts slowly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brodie7744 Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 also, if you are going to do it, use white distilled.. common sense really Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pk333 Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 I've heard of hydrochloric acid being used as well. My only concern is that such acids don't remove the dissolved minerals and solids from the water, which is a lot of the problem for soft/acidic water fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brodie7744 Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 (edited) I've heard of hydrochloric acid being used as well.My only concern is that such acids don't remove the dissolved minerals and solids from the water, which is a lot of the problem for soft/acidic water fish. what do you think ph down is ? 7 percent hydro acid. don't belive me ? read the bottle or spill some on our hands. burns like hell Edited January 22, 2015 by brodie7744 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Junkie Posted January 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 I was asked the question and Basically gave the answers that you have above Including the acid I figured any food grade item with a low PH was ok But wanted to double check My understanding is that it's a new tank ? FJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Junkie Posted January 22, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 A good read Sodium Bisulfate Ph down - Advanced Growing Techniques FJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regani Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 The easiest way to lower ph is with a strong acid such as hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid, but they also carry the highest risk of overshooting and getting the pH down wayyyy more than you wanted. Vinegar is a weak acid, it will work to bring your ph down but there are two drawbacks to vinegar: it may take quite a bit to get the ph where you want it to be (depending on the water you start with) and it introduces organic carbon which will add to the overall bio load of the tank. pH Down contains sodium bisulphate, a salt of sulphuric acid that itself is still fairly acidic, but safer to handle than sulphuric acid itself. I find hydrochloric acid the most effective and easiest to use. The stuff you get from the hardware stores works fine, it is just a bit too concentrated for easy and safe use. If you (carefully!) prepare a stock solution by mixing one part of the acid into 1-2 parts of water you'll get a version that is easier to dose and safer to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
