How to Naturally Raise the pH in Aquarium Water

Both fish and marine invertebrates, such as starfish, lower the pH of aquarium water through their metabolic waste. Fish have adapted to living in water with a specific pH and changes to this parameter lowers the resistance of aquatic creatures to diseases and predispose them to illness. Although buffer solutions are available to artificially raise the pH of aquarium saltwater, many aquarists prefer to use a number of natural methods, such as 10 percent weekly water changes and the addition of aragonite gravel.

Things You'll Need

  • 3 pounds synthetic aquarium salt
  • Small bottle of dechlorinator
  • 50-watt heater
  • Small submersible pump
  • Three 10-gallon plastic buckets
  • Transparent plastic pipe, 3 1/2 feet long
  • Two old towels
  • Garden tap
  • 5 pounds aragonite gravel
  • Long-handled net
  • Long plastic aquarium tongs
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill a 10-gallon plastic bucket to the 9-gallon mark with tap water for adjusting pH in a 50-gallon tank. Add dechlorinator and stir vigorously for a minute. Leave the water to stand for a few minutes to allow the dechlorinator to work.

    • 2

      Add 3 pounds of synthetic aquarium salt to the 10-gallon bucket. Place a 50-watt aquarium heater and a small submersible pump into the bucket and leave for 24 hours so that the water can heat up and circulate. Set the thermostat on the aquarium heater for 79 degrees F.

    • 3

      Switch off heaters and pumps in the aquarium and turn off the wall plug the next morning.

    • 4

      Lay the towels on the floor in front of the aquarium.

    • 5

      Place the piece of 3 1/2-foot-long transparent plastic tubing into the aquarium and hold it in place. Place the opposite end in your mouth and suck powerfully. Remove the pipe from your mouth as soon as water begins to flow into it and place the free end into the second 10-gallon bucket.

    • 6

      Fill the 10-gallon bucket with aquarium water. Stop the siphon by removing the transparent tube from the aquarium.

    • 7

      Discard the aged sea water down the drain.

    • 8

      Remove the heater and submersible pump from the 10-gallon bucket of freshly made synthetic sea water and pour the water gently into the aquarium.

    • 9

      Add 5 pounds of aragonite gravel to the third 10-gallon bucket. Rinse the gravel under a garden tap, to remove dust and debris. The aragonite gravel will slowly release elements and trace elements into the water, which will assist in preventing drops in pH.

    • 10

      Fill a long-handled net with the rinsed aragonite gravel and place the net carefully into the aquarium. Hold the net just above the aquarium floor and, using the long plastic aquarium tongs, take hold of the bottom of the net and gently tip the gravel out.