Scuba Sam Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Hey what's everyone's tap water pH doing at the moment? I am in Kensington, pH is usually 7.4. Mate's new fish is strugling a bit, so I tested her pH - it was 7.8!! Turns out her tap water is 8.0!!! So I tested mine and it is the same. What have others found? Cheers, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 I had mine done recently. (yes the method does justify the two decimal places...) Tap water: 7.35 Tank: 7.05 The bizarre thing is the tank is nearly 1/4 peat, it should be acid as hell! There must be some serious buffering in the water. Annoying, now I need to learn how to control it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuba Sam Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 I ended up ringing the district council, and asked for a water technician. He had no idea what pH the water was supposed to be at, but luckily his boss had all the info. Our tap water locally is carefully controlled at a pH of between 7.9 and 8.1. Extra cholorine is used to get it there, which makes it less corrosive for our hot water cylinders. Very interesting. So maybe I'll just have to collect rainwater from now on. And it seems the anomaly was when I measured it at 7.4, not now. Perhaps the test kit was faulty, or maybe I should have been testing with a higher pH test kit. Next step is to test the water I have sitting at home once the chlorine is released by standing. I would still be interested in what other people's town supply water measures - thanks Stella for your post. Caustic Soda and Chlorine are the main things put in our water to get the pH high. Cheers, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 our water in onerahi is the same, ph 7.6+ which is great for my africans! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuba Sam Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 our water in onerahi is the same, ph 7.6+ which is great for my africans! i did suggest Africans to my mate in Onerahi - she wasn't too keen. And I did seriously consider it last night for my new tank - they would look alright in it I reckon. My mate with the discus has water at pH 5.6 apparently -so we can use that to even things out perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Chlorine will not raise the pH. Caustic soda is what is usd by local authorities because acid water very quickly corodes copper and brass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuba Sam Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Thanks Alan, that's pretty much what he said, but a bit easier to understand. The only way I seem to get acid water is by letting my nitrates get high!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Nitrates will not make the water acid, as it is caused by hydrogen ions and they are neutralized by hydroxyl ions from things like caustic soda or by reaction with things like carbonate or bicarbonate which act as buffers. You may be producing acid waste along with your nitrates however. pH is logarithmic so if it takes one drop of acid to turn water from pH 7 to pH 6 it will take 10 drops to go from 6 to 5 and 100 from 5 to 4. pH round 6.5 to 7.5 are very small differences and to try and maintain them is what keeps the shops rich and you poor. Fish are generally happy with constant pH and realy don't ike constant changes as people chase a particular and only theoretical pH. It is useful to have particular conditions when breeding but not so important otherwise. I keep killies in tap water and breed them in rainwater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuba Sam Posted January 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Thanks for the advice Alan - good to have pH changes in perspective. We had the water in the two tanks this gourami swapped between, tested with a laboratory pH meter, and the results were 5.8 and 7.5 - do you think that was enough to cause a blue gourami to go shy and pale? Both tanks have good quality water as concerns nitrates, nitrate, ammonia. Thanks, Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 That is a lot of difference but like most things with fish if the changes are very gradual things mightbe OK. To just take it from one straight to the other would be asking for trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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