Almond leaves?

[MichelleM]

I am trying to lower the pH in my tank, it is around 8.5. Right now I have peat moss in the filter but it is not going down well as I am still doing 25% water changes every other day due to nitrites. (second filter was added and it just needs time)
anyway I have been reading about almond leaves to lower the pH. Do any of you use them? Is driftwood a better choice? I'd rather avoid adding chemical treatments but I'd like to get the pH down. My axie seems happy and otherwise healthy.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Hayleyy]

I use almond leaves in my tank for my axies skin, I'm not sure how effective it is at lowering pH but it's good to use anyways

 

[alindlaiyne]

My PH was between 8.4 and 8.6 so I was worried about my axies. So I got catappa leaves/Indian almond leaves. my axies liked the leaves but they lowered the PH too much. My axies got really pale in the gills (even when really active, and the colour wouldn't come back) which I later found out can be due to temporary anemia which can be caused by soft water. So I removed the leaves and did a water change and they were back to normal and perfectly fine again. If I were you I'd only use a small piece of the leaf and don't leave it in there for too long. I'm no expert so I cant say how long or how much, but axolotls like higher PH and mine seem to like it best how it is.

 

[Hayleyy]

Yes! I have since learnt that the leaves do cause drops in pH. It dropped mine quite a bit so I added some coral chunks into the filter and it seems to be counteracting the leaves! My axie isn't having any skin issues so once this last leaf dissolves I will keep them out unless needed. Thank you