PH way too low , how do I raise it ?

My mate has a major problem with his PH it is 4.5

I gave him 2 big anglefish that I have had for well over a year and they were super healthy in under 2 weeks both have died

he also has quite high nitrates

I have never had this problem as my substrate stabilizes the PH but he has plain gravel

I was given hardness salts from my LFS to raise it but the were £12.95 and the amount that's in the bag looks like it will last 2 months

anybody have a cheaper and easyer to use solution he needs the PH about 6-7

the tank is 125 litres and he has 2 internal filters

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Permalink Reply by abraham avelar on November 22, 2011 at 1:13pm

u could try to get the output/waste water from a rodi unit that will raise ur ph but u will have to mix it with your tap water

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Permalink Reply by Clarke on November 22, 2011 at 1:42pm

What is the PH of his tap water? PH will drop over time due to acids that are a result of natural biological activity. If his source water is closer to the PH he wants, the first place to start is by doing several small water changes. You do not want to cause large, quick shifts in the PH

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Permalink Reply by abraham avelar on November 22, 2011 at 5:16pm

yeah where is he getting the water from???????? and is he using test strips which are not accurate at all??? i went to the lfs to test my water last week to see how accurate the strips were from the api fresh water master kit and the ph showed that i had 6.8 which it isnt even close i have a ph of 7.6

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Permalink Reply by Martin Seel on November 22, 2011 at 6:24pm

I tested his water with 2 diferent liquid tests , I never use test strips his ph is 4.5 straight out of the tap and in the tank on both tests

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Permalink Reply by Martin Seel on November 22, 2011 at 6:21pm

the ph is 4.5 straight out the tap he wants around 6.5-7 I can raise it slowly with the chemicals over the next week or so , but was wanting something more natural and something he wont have to add every week

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Permalink Reply by Clarke on November 23, 2011 at 2:44pm

How old are your test kits? If they are more than a year old, get new ones.

If you are trying to keep a tank with a PH that is that much more alkaline than the source water, your bets option is RO water and add the minerals, etc back into it to get what you want.

Your frien would be better off keeping fish that like a PH where his tap water is. Other wise it is always an up hill battle.

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Permalink Reply by Martin Seel on November 23, 2011 at 3:19pm

the test kits are fine , one is a week old the other is about 3 months old ,

to my knoledge thers not meny fish that come from a PH of 4.5 of lower

I was thinking more along the lines of adding some cruched coral to the filer or something like that

my tap water comes out at 5 and the substrate I have buffers the PH up to 6.5-7

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Permalink Reply by Clarke on November 24, 2011 at 12:15pm

I agree that 4.5 is very acidic. Crushed coral would raise the PH, but I am unsure if it would be able to raise it enough to get it to the range he is looking for. I think RO water may be the best route to go, but hopefully someone with experience doing this will chime in.