How to make water more acidic

To make your tank water more acidic you need to add a solution which contains hydrogen ions to your water.

Typically the most common solution used to do this cheaply is to use an acid like Sulphuric acid or add peat to your water. Adding CO2 to the water will also lower the pH but not a great deal.


 * These will reduce the KH (Carbonate) level in your water.

Other solutions
To achieve a lower pH you need to use:


 * API pH Down - A commercial product by API (Sulphuric acid)


 * Sodium sulphate (Na2SO4)(Sodium sulfate)


 * Sulphuric acid (H2SO4)(sulfuric acid)


 * Other acids and their MSDS

Special notes
These chemicals are potentially dangerous to humans and fatal to aquarium life if used incorrectly. Please consult their MSDS sheet before using.


 * See also How to make water more alkaline