hovmoller Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Tested my tanks last night.. found pH around 5.5 - 6 on all of them.. Then I tested my tap water a few time to be sure and it was around 6. I hope my test kit is wrong but could it be that it has something to do with winter having higher rainfalls and so water supply is more "rainwater like" than in summer??? and then this causes a lower pH? Just speculating here of course. I live in Epsom, Auckland and I believe we get water from the Waikato river Anyone else experiencing the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Sounds like a good thing to me!! I'll just go check mine... *edit* mine is still off-the-scale blue from the tap. But interestingly enough the pH of the big tank is down to about 6.8 after having nothing but tap water (no rain water) for the past couple of months. Did a 450L change on it on Friday with tap water. Maybe there is less TDS in the tap water at this time of year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 It would be very unusual to have a reticulated council water supply at that pH because it would corrode away your hot water cylinder and brass fittings in a matter of months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted July 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 Sounds like a good thing to me!! Yeah normally I'd agree but I'm going away for 7 weeks and don't want my tanks pH to crash while I'm away. Maybe there is less TDS in the tap water at this time of year? That's what I thought too.. more rainwater to dilute whatever solids washes out of the mountains.. I think I'll add some sea shells to my filters.. not too many but enough to prevent ph crash.. does anyone agree with this approach? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikBok Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 3 of my tanks come out at ph 7.0 and one comes out at 6.4, that one is always lower than the others for some reason. I'm sth auck and my tap water is usually over pH7.4 , I'm guessing closer to 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 I've got some coral rubble that I haveused in the past to buffer tanks by adding it to the filters, if you want to come over and grab some let me know. How long until you leave? If you haven't got enough time to experiment and monitor it before you leave to make sure you haven't added too much then I'd say you're better off not to add any at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted July 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 I've got some coral rubble that I haveused in the past to buffer tanks by adding it to the filters, if you want to come over and grab some let me know. How long until you leave? If you haven't got enough time to experiment and monitor it before you leave to make sure you haven't added too much then I'd say you're better off not to add any at all. Thanks David, I've got lots of sea shell rubble (don't ask me why, has something to do with wife and decoration :lol: ) and I'm leaving in 2 weeks so can experiment a bit before then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 mine seems to be normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinbote Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 I've got readings from off the charts blue to 6.6ish from my tapwater in the same day, a few minutes apart. I don't trust the API pH liquid test kit much at all. Temperature seems to make a big difference in the readings too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 What part of Auckland are you guys in? I'm east so will be getting my water from the Hunuas. As Alan said in another thread, water companies usually try keep the pH high as acidic water would corrode pipes faster etc, but I find the GH and KH of my tap water is still very low and it doesn't take much to bring it back down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 I'm in Royal Oak, just a gravel vac away from Hovmoller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted July 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 Yeah Epsom here.. and quite sure we're on Waikato water.. Tested tap water again last night with two different test kits.. it was back up to "normal" - 7-7.5 So I wonder if it was just a fluke. If tapwater can really change that much on a single day or if I simply tested wrong (several times) :nilly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 I just had a look at their [awkward] website, and it looks like the waikato only supplies 10% of Aucklands supply. Not sure where it goes or how it gets mixed in (I can't find a map showing which suburbs draw their water from where, although I recall seeing one somewhere). http://www.watercare.co.nz/about-watercare/our-services/water-sources/Pages/default.aspx I would have thought at this time of year they'd be taking less from the river and more from the dams? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 12, 2011 Report Share Posted July 12, 2011 There is something wrong with your test kit. If the water from the tap was pH 6 all your taps would be dripping from dezincafication and your hot water cylinder would be leaking like a seive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunbird73 Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 North shore tapwater still the same at around 7.8-8.0 (but we do have low TDS here too tho) did you clean your test tube out well? I would retest.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I remember when they commissioned the pipeline from the Waikato river - we all had a celebratory flush to share with our friends in Auckland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinbote Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I remember when they commissioned the pipeline from the Waikato river - we all had a celebratory flush to share with our friends in Auckland Whatever makes you feel better about living in Hamilton. :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#!CrunchBang Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I didn't know Hamilton was so behind that they didn't have a sewerage system :slfg: :smot: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I guess that explains the flavour of Waikato Draught.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I remember a mayor being interviewed on TV and claiming his town had a 6 stage treatment system and what he meant was there was a series of 6 pumps taking the sewage to the nearest river. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted July 13, 2011 Report Share Posted July 13, 2011 I guess that explains the flavour of Waikato Draught.... Wouldn't know, when it comes to booze I only drink beer In all seriousness, I just feel sad when I see the Waikato river. Clean and green, yeah right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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