API pH down to lower pH in quarantine

[Hezam]

Hello everyone,

Very quick question. I am trying to lower pH of shipped fish. Most of the fish I buy are shipped overseas and arrive with very low pH. What can I use to lower pH. Can I use api pH down to lower it? It's the only of the shelf product I can get right now. I also found some ph down that a hydroponic store uses. Although I am not sure if its hydrochloric acid. written on it was "phosporic acid" it wasn't written in English so translation is a bit rough I am not sure. API ph down uses Sulfuric acid.

Also since we are on the topic of PH, is it necessary to acclimate ph and when? I know for sure fish shipped in bags ph drops hard if longer than a day or two. But I also heard people in this forum say salinty matching is the only thing that matters. Whats the take here. Can fish handle rapid Ph rise. This is only for quarantine application no corals what so ever.

 

[Garf]

Hello everyone,

Very quick question. I am trying to lower pH of shipped fish. Most of the fish I buy are shipped overseas and arrive with very low pH. What can I use to lower pH. Can I use api pH down to lower it? It's the only of the shelf product I can get right now. I also found some ph down that a hydroponic store uses. Although I am not sure if its hydrochloric acid. written on it was "phosporic acid" it wasn't written in English so translation is a bit rough I am not sure. API ph down uses Sulfuric acid.

Also since we are on the topic of PH, is it necessary to acclimate ph and when? I know for sure fish shipped in bags ph drops hard if longer than a day or two. But I also heard people in this forum say salinty matching is the only thing that matters. Whats the take here. Can fish handle rapid Ph rise. This is only for quarantine application no corals what so ever.

Respired CO2 brings down the pH anyway, so I'm not sure you need to add anything.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are you trying to match tank pH to the shipped water? I would not do that.

Also, all pH reducing products also lower alk. Either sodium bisulfate (a solid) or muriatic acid can be used for the purpose.

I personally would use one of those over the API product.

 

[Hezam]

Are you trying to match tank pH to the shipped water? I would not do that.

Also, all pH reducing products also lower alk. Either sodium bisulfate (a solid) or muriatic acid can be used for the purpose.

I personally would use one of those over the API product.

Yes trying to pH match the shipped water to my quarantine tank ph. You wouldn't do that? Interesting, why and why not. Is it okay to just drop fish to higher ph?

Trying to figure out the best way to acclimate transshipped fish, 2-3 days in bags. Salinity and temperate enough?

 

[WvAquatics]

Hello everyone,

Very quick question. I am trying to lower pH of shipped fish. Most of the fish I buy are shipped overseas and arrive with very low pH. What can I use to lower pH. Can I use api pH down to lower it? It's the only of the shelf product I can get right now. I also found some ph down that a hydroponic store uses. Although I am not sure if its hydrochloric acid. written on it was "phosporic acid" it wasn't written in English so translation is a bit rough I am not sure. API ph down uses Sulfuric acid.

Also since we are on the topic of PH, is it necessary to acclimate ph and when? I know for sure fish shipped in bags ph drops hard if longer than a day or two. But I also heard people in this forum say salinty matching is the only thing that matters. Whats the take here. Can fish handle rapid Ph rise. This is only for quarantine application no corals what so ever.

Ph isn't your concern. Yes the water the fish are shipped in is low in pH and this is good for you. Given your fish spend long periods in the water into your first goal is get the fish from the water asap. Once you expose the low oxygen bag to oxygen the water becomes toxic! The ammonia rises and so does pH. So just float fish in the bag sealed to temp acclimate. Open bag and get fish into qt asap. I use a noodle strainer to dump fish in to get rid of water and dip strainer into tank so fish swims out. If you want to match salinity message supplier for there salinity. From what I have read if fish are shipped you want them out of the shipping water asap so a pH rise and possible salinity rise might happen.

 

[WvAquatics]

To match salinity get salinity from supplier and just make it that before fish arrive. As for pH that's not your issue. Removing fish from toxic water asap once bag is opened is the goal. If your bagging and moving fish from a lfs you can do all the testing of transport water you want.

 

[Hezam]

Ph isn't your concern. Yes the water the fish are shipped in is low in pH and this is good for you. Given your fish spend long periods in the water into your first goal is get the fish from the water asap. Once you expose the low oxygen bag to oxygen the water becomes toxic! The ammonia rises and so does pH. So just float fish in the bag sealed to temp acclimate. Open bag and get fish into qt asap. I use a noodle strainer to dump fish in to get rid of water and dip strainer into tank so fish swims out. If you want to match salinity message supplier for there salinity. From what I have read if fish are shipped you want them out of the shipping water asap so a pH rise and possible salinity rise might happen.

Thanks for reply, so pH matching isn't really a concern huh? I have seen some conflicting opinions on this, so I wanted to ask. Once I match the salinity and temperature I am good to just drop the fish in. Since the low PH helps the ammonia stay nontoxic until I open the bag and expose it to air. So drop acclimation is completely of the table

 

[WvAquatics]

Thanks for reply, so pH matching isn't really a concern huh? I have seen some conflicting opinions on this, so I wanted to ask. Once I match the salinity and temperature I am good to just drop the fish in. Since the low PH helps the ammonia stay nontoxic until I open the bag and expose it to air. So drop acclimation is completely of the table

Usually with long shipments yes drip acclimating will be more stress. Match temp, salinity and dump in is how I do all fish.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes trying to pH match the shipped water to my quarantine tank ph. You wouldn't do that? Interesting, why and why not. Is it okay to just drop fish to higher ph?

Trying to figure out the best way to acclimate transshipped fish, 2-3 days in bags. Salinity and temperate enough?

I’ve never considered pH matching an important attribute of acclimation. I could be convinced otherwise if there is data around, but I’ve never seen it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for reply, so pH matching isn't really a concern huh? I have seen some conflicting opinions on this, so I wanted to ask. Once I match the salinity and temperature I am good to just drop the fish in. Since the low PH helps the ammonia stay nontoxic until I open the bag and expose it to air. So drop acclimation is completely of the table

What I do is adjust some tank water to match salinity, equilibrate temps, and dump the fish only into the prepared water.

Then I can adjust salinity the fish is in over any desired time frame.

 

[Hezam]

Thanks for confirming guys, salinity and temperature it is then. I've seen a lot of LFS in the US buy from Indonesia and stress pH matching. It would be much easier for me to just acclimate salinity and temperature.

 

[ReefED!]

I’ve never considered pH matching an important attribute of acclimation. I could be convinced otherwise if there is data around, but I’ve never seen it.

Hey Randy,


So would you not be overly concerned with trying to PH match for new arrivals?

I've thought about setting up my QT observation tank with salinity matched water and then using a little bit of muriatic acid to lower the ph to 7.0 or so in order to make it easier for a shipped fish to acclimate after floating.

My concern is that it might climb back up if I try to do it ahead of time, meaning I'm trying to dial it in on arrival - I can't find anything that says whether or not that's a thing, though.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hey Randy,


So would you not be overly concerned with trying to PH match for new arrivals?

I've thought about setting up my QT observation tank with salinity matched water and then using a little bit of muriatic acid to lower the ph to 7.0 or so in order to make it easier for a shipped fish to acclimate after floating.

My concern is that it might climb back up if I try to do it ahead of time, meaning I'm trying to dial it in on arrival - I can't find anything that says whether or not that's a thing, though.

No, I would not pH match arriving livestock. I'm not convinced a fish does anything important to adapt to pH variations, and pH 7 may itself be stressful since it raises the CO2 level in the water.