How to Balance Your pH Naturally

Balancing the pH is an essential skill when maintaining a home aquarium. A measure of water's acidity or alkalinity, the pH scale ranges from 0 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline), with 7 (neutral) being what most freshwater aquariums should hover around. However, the water you're using for your tank may not have the proper pH, meaning you'll have to alter it, somehow, either raising it or lowering it. Though several chemicals are available that do just that, there's a safer, more natural method of balancing your aquarium's pH.

Things You'll Need

  • Mesh bag, nylon
  • Rubber band
  • Handful of peat chips or crushed coral
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Instructions

    • 1

      Fill the mesh bag with either the peat chips or the crushed coral. This depends on which direction you wish to go; if you want to lower the pH, use the peat chips, if you want to raise it, use the crushed coral.

    • 2

      Tie the bag shut with the rubber band.

    • 3

      Rinse the bag under a faucet with fresh water to remove any dust.

    • 4

      Place the bag within your filter's cartridge compartment so that water runs through it. The pH level of your aquarium water should slowly begin to alter according to whether you used peat chips or crushed coral.