Review on 🔍 Seachem Neutral Regulator: Enhanced SEO-friendly Product by Jill Foster

Most acid loving fish do well at a pH of up to 8 once acclimated. The 2 main causes of fish kills are ammonia spikes and PH fluctuations due to too low dkh. dkh (carbonate hardness) is much higher than critical, then pH. Most experienced fish farmers keep it at a minimum of 5. If dkh falls below 3, a dangerous condition is created that will likely kill the fish. Over time the DX in your aquarium will fall off due to the acids produced in your filter. A water change or the addition of an appropriate buffer should be done if the KH falls below the target value. The pH is controlled by 3 factors, KH, CO2 and the amount of acid produced in your filter. My tap water has a dkh of 8, I'm setting up an aquarium for a dwarf puffer fish. I have found that these fish do not acclimate as well as most acid loving fish. This prompted me to experiment with a neutral controller. After adding a large amount of the regulator for 3 days I didn't notice much of a change and concluded that it didn't lower the pH very well. I then started with fresh tap water and used an acidic buffer. to bring my dkh down to about 1. I then added a neutral regulator and tested my water the next day. The PH was around 7 and the dkh was around 6. If your tap water has a low dkh it probably contains few micronutrients, or if you are using reverse osmosis or distilled water it does not contain the necessary micronutrients for the Fishes. In this case you can use an alkaline buffer (commercially available or baking soda) or a neutral regulator to raise the KH. You also need to add micronutrients that boost GH. When changing the water it is important not to make any sudden changes in your tank, pH changes over 0.3, over 2 dkh or temperature changes over 2 degrees. F can cause problems. In summary I have found that the best way for me to use this product is to add an acidic buffer to bring my dkh down to around 1 and then use a neutral regulator to make the water stable. What you have to add to the water depends on the condition of your tap water anyway. I strongly recommend that you include a KH test as part of your weekly maintenance.