How hard would it be getting a stable 7.2 from an 8.1? would I be constantly be monitoring and adding buffers to keep it lower?

Is there a reason you want to change the pH?

Most fish (if not all) will do just fine in any pH if you acclimate them properly (drip acclimation for example.) I've got a pH that was about 7.9 (it's gone to about 7.4-7.6 with drift wood added) but I am able to keep Cardinal Tetras that normally live in water with a pH level of about 5-6 or 5-7. Adding chemicals to change the pH normally makes for more trouble than it's worth... but maybe someone else has some advice?

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981

There is not a reason to do that. Unless you plan on a fish like Discus maybe, most all fish will adjust to your water. Adding stuff in the water will just make your tank a chemical cesspool. The waters natural buffers will fight to go back to where it was and cause your ph to fluctuate and swing up and down which can end up killing your fish. This is arguably one of the worst things to do.

If you use drift wood, what do you do when doing water changes. Pouring in a higher ph water won't hurt them? They say to it's better for the water to sit for a day for the gasses to settle out. Is that nessasary and do you make sure your watyer temp matches your tanks?

The easiest and safest way to lower your ph is to make all water changes and added water with Aeriated, Distilled Water. Your ph should gradually lower. In the United States high ph is usually found in Well Water. The high ph is the result of long term contact with limestone.

In a word don't

high pH just means the tank has low carbon dioxide. That could not be a problem for any fish I know of and all my planted tanks are even higher. Yet fish like tetras and hacetfish do just fine, are active and, live for years.

my .02

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fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

False info.

I run the water to get it as close as possible to the tank temp, and put it in the tank - we don't have chlorine or chloramine because we are on a well, so the water can go right in. I don't think there's enough of a difference in what I put in to hurt the fish.

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20g Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981
36g Bow Front Heavily Planted http://www.aquariumforum.com/gallery...00&ppuser=8981