# Heeere Fishy, fishy, fishy! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 8, 2001, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heeere-fishy-fishy-fishy/53674 "2001-02-08T20:01:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2001, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heeere-fishy-fishy-fishy/53674/1 "2001-02-08T20:01:16Z")
I am looking for info on lowering aquarium pH. My firend has tried many chemicals to do it, but it’s just not working. All of his fish has croaked any ideas?? ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2001, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heeere-fishy-fishy-fishy/53674/2 "2001-02-08T22:20:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Poysyn \* > \*\*I am looking for info on lowering aquarium pH. My firend has tried many chemicals to do it, but it’s just not working. All of his fish has croaked any ideas?? \*\* Is his aquarium ph higher than his tapwater? (let the tapwater sit out overnight before testing so the CO2 comes out of solution) If so, have him test the water for ammonia, a toxic, Ph raising, waste product from the fishies. Also, how big is the aquarium, what kind of fish does he have, and how often does he remove and then replace the water, and how much of it does he replace? Replacing evaporated water does not count. Does he have any plants? Does he have any calcium-based rocks or shells in the aquarium? What kind of gravel? ---
**Author:** ![oldscratch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@oldscratch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oldscratch)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2001, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heeere-fishy-fishy-fishy/53674/3 "2001-02-08T22:51:10Z")
stop peeing in it ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2001, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heeere-fishy-fishy-fishy/53674/4 "2001-02-08T23:02:40Z")
The water is too alkaline, that’s what you’re saying? Ahem. There’s some magic stuff called “sodium biphosphate”, on sale at serious pet stores everywhere (I don’t think Wal-Mart carries it, Petsmart might, your local mom-and-pop serious fish store certainly does). It costs about $3.50 for a teeny bottle; it’s a white powder, you use 1/4 tsp. per 10 gallons of water. It’s THE official aquarist’s solution. You use it in conjunction with a little water testing kit, or those pH strips, also on sale at serious fish stores. If that’s what your friend is using, and his fish are still dying, then I suggest either (a) he’s not doing it right, or (b) it’s like Wonko said and there’s something else going on. Is your friend doing that? What kind of “chemicals” is he using, anyway? You can’t lower a fish tank’s pH with kitchen stuff like vinegar or lemon juice. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2001, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heeere-fishy-fishy-fishy/53674/5 "2001-02-16T19:27:50Z")
Sorry, I’ve been away. Okay he bought some stuff from the petstore made to lower pH, not sure of the name, he doesn’t live here and he is away so I can’t get ahold of him. He had some nicer freshwater fish. Not too many, but I think maybe more than his little aquarium could handle (10 gallon). He does cleaning/water changes once a week and changes about 1/4 to 1/3 of the water each time. He did have a serious algae problem for a while, but that seems to be under control. I’ll pass along the advice so far. ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2001, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heeere-fishy-fishy-fishy/53674/6 "2001-02-16T21:49:00Z")
buy him this book. [http://petbooks.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod\_Display.cfm?pCatId=2497](http://petbooks.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2497) and this one too. [http://www.epinions.com/book\_mu-3445039?tk=BC.1.4](http://www.epinions.com/book_mu-3445039?tk=BC.1.4) I liked the second one more. They are good. Make sure if you buy them for him, that he reads them. They work better like that.