Neutral Regulator

[TheExoticFish]

I picked up a bottle of this (dry version) the other day to bring my pH to 7.0 from about 7.5ish. I got home and put it dissolved it in a cup of water then added it to my tank (fishless). The next day I went to the store where I had purchased it and the guy said it doesn't actually lower the pH and he tested my water while I was there and said my pH was still about 7.5. I tested it myself when I got home and he was right, it didn't lower my pH. So what's the problem ? Does it not bring your pH to 7.0 like it says it will ?

[Tech Support AN]

Thanks for the post! I'm sorry you are having difficulties with the Neutral Regulator. It will definitely bring your pH to 7.0 from above or below, but it will depend on your current buffering capacity in your water. Are you using treated tap water or RO water? If you are using tap water, you probably have high carbonates/bicarbonates causing your pH to remain high. Here is a quote from our FAQ page for Neutral Regulator:

Q: I tried to use Neutral Regulator to adjust pH to 7.0, but it failed to do so. What am I doing wrong?

A: There are two different buffering systems you can rely on in freshwater aquariums. The first is a bicarbonate based buffering system and the second is a phosphate based buffering system. Of the two, phosphate based buffers, like Neutral Regulator, tend to be more stable. In situations where a bicarbonate buffering system is strong, you will need to increase the dosage of Neutral Regulator until the phosphate based buffer can overcome the bicarbonate based buffering system. You can dose Neutral Regulator daily until you reach your desired pH. If you want a faster working solution (I'm assuming your pH is too high), you can use our Acid Buffer to dissolve some of your bicarbonate based buffering system to make things easier for Neutral Regulator to work.

I hope this was helpful and please let us know if you need any further assistance! Have a great day!

[TheExoticFish]

Okay thanks.

It's tap water from our private well.

I tried adding more and more but all it did was make my water cloudy and raise my alk to 300ppm. I'll try the acid buffer and see how that goes.

Is the Acid Buffer the same thing as the Discus Buffer ?

[Tech Support EH]

No, Acid Buffer and Discus Buffer are two distinct products. Rest assured that the Neutral Regulator will allow you to get your pH to 7.0, and once it does so, it will hold it there very well, as phosphate is a very stable buffer.

[TheExoticFish]

Okay, so I should use Acid Buffer and not Discus Buffer ?

This is an Angel tank so I want to get my pH down to at least 7.0, ideally about 6.8ish.

What would you recommend ?

[Tech Support EH]

Honestly, you can use either. If you want to target a pH of 6.8, then you can add the Neutral Regulator and the Discus Buffer in a set ratio to get this exact pH. On the bottle of Discus Buffer, there is a usage/ratio chart. To get a pH of 6.8, it will instruct you to add one dose of Neutral Regulator to one dose of Discus Buffer. Keep in mind that these ratios are given for use in RO/DI water, so you may have to make some adjustments. If you want to get to 7.0, then the Neutral Regulator alone will do this in time.

[TheExoticFish]

Okay, sounds good.

I just added 2 teaspoons to 20 gallons of water and it didn't move the pH at all. I'm already half way through my bottle and have had no change so it looks like I'm going to have to use Acid/Duscus buffer as well.

Thanks again

[Tech Support EH]

You're very welcome. Hopefully, doing so will yield a quicker solution for you!