# is ph down products safe for CRS?



## lovevc (Nov 24, 2010)

i recently rescaped my 45x28x30 tank and planning to add some CRS soon.. 

ph in tank is approx 6.0, gh 4, kh 0. the problem is evaporation, and my tap water is extremely hard, ph 7.8, gh 9, kh 7

if i pre mix my tap water with ph down to match my tank's ph value then top up my tank, will that work? does ph down contain poisonous ingredients to shrimp?
anyone tried this method before?

btw..i dont have access to RO water, im just a poor student without a car


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## colio (Dec 8, 2012)

I cannot comment on if it is specifically bad for your shrimp based on ingredients. But I can say that I have done a lot of forum reading on fish related issues, and a lot of people are very opposed to that sort of chemical control or water parameters, as it tends to end badly. You mix the Ph down with water before adding, but does it all get used up? Or might it cause little swings in your tank which are bad for your shrimp? It is also hard to maintain a perfect balance that way.


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## randy (Jan 29, 2012)

Stability is the key as most agree. Plus if you use tap water to top off your TDS will go through roof very quickly. RO system isn't that expensive anymore, for less than $200 you can get the whole set with changes.


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## Shrimp Daddy (Mar 30, 2013)

lovevc said:


> i recently rescaped my 45x28x30 tank and planning to add some CRS soon..
> 
> ph in tank is approx 6.0, gh 4, kh 0. the problem is evaporation, and my tap water is extremely hard, ph 7.8, gh 9, kh 7
> 
> ...


It depends.


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## lovevc (Nov 24, 2010)

thx guys.. guess the ph down method is risky, ill let my tap water sit in a basket filled with thin layer of aquasoil for couple days before i use it

btw..im living in dorm, so RO is out of question, no matter how inexpensive it is


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## Modo (Oct 9, 2012)

There's a pitcher style water filter called Zero Water. It comes with a TDS meter for about $40 at Walmart. The tap water filters out to 0 TDS. You can easily use that for top ups.


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