lowering ph, softening water?

[rocketman]

hello, i was wondering how i can lower my ph from 7.3 to the 6.5 range safely. also i have hard water from the tap and would like to soften it for my apistos. i have panduro,viejita, and maciliensis spawning reagularly with no fry yet. my borelli and pelvicachromis subocellatus matadi are haveing no troubles at all. the above sp. i am haveing trouble with need softer and more acidic water i believe. i am on a water meter so a ro unit is out of the question for me. any info would be helpful. is peat safe to use and maintain at a constant ph?
thanks.

 

[Neil]

rocketman,
How big are the tanks that you have your fish in? If they are not huge, I would suggest getting an 18gal. tub from Home Depot. Fill it up with store-bought RO and filter the water slowly over peat for a couple of days. Then do your water changes with that water. Or buy enough water to do 50 to 75% water changes in each tank that you want lowered to start and then filter peat directly in the tanks (which is the quicker, but more expensive solution).
The species that you mention do need softer, more acidic water to have a better chance for viable eggs. So if you want to spawn them you will have to make some sacrifices.
You could also get a small RO unit and use it only when necessary, placing the waste-water in you bath tub. Then start taking baths rather than showers .
Neil