The Puffer Forum

we have a 50g tank with a small schoal of corydoras pandas, marbled hatchets, lamp eye tetras, and a red-tailed black shark
the pH is quite high @ 7.2+, and the well water is very hard
if reasonably & safely possible, I'd like to lower the pH a bit, and soften the water a little
my reasoning is that the fish (in their natural habitat) live in softer, more acidic water, so it would be beneficial for them
i also think these changes might be beneficial in getting a very large population of MTSs more controllable (I don't want to eliminate them entirely, but at times there are WAY too many)
does anyone have any experience with catappa leaves, peat moss, or sheet sphagnum moss as canister filter media for these purposes?
actually, the catappa leaves look quite nice inside the aquarium from the pictures I've seen
i know that chemicals to change these parameters are a BIG NO-NO, so I'm only interested in suggestions and experiences using more natural means
thanks!

7.2 is neutral, not bad at all. If you add driftwood, that will lower it. I just ordered these leaves though for my plecos. The plecofanatics on FB swear by them!
http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-use-Indi ... 374/g.html

Plus remember a stable ph is much more beneficial than one that swings whilst you try to keep it just right

Pufferpunk wrote:7.2 is neutral, not bad at all. If you add driftwood, that will lower it. I just ordered these leaves though for my plecos. The plecofanatics on FB swear by them!
http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-to-use-Indi ... 374/g.html

already got driftwood for quite some time
looking for something else natural to do the job
i've seen peat moss and sphagnum moss recommended as filter media
the catappa leaves might be the best thing
still researching............

bertie 83 wrote:Plus remember a stable ph is much more beneficial than one that swings whilst you try to keep it just right

I fully realize this, hence the "reasonably & safely possible"in my OP
I'm not really looking for a solution to a problem as such
I mainly want to provide as healthy an environment as reasonably possible for the fish (and disadvantage the MTSs a bit )

A moss could certainly be worth a try, just start small and record /share your data with us. Any info is good to know.