Leela Posted January 27, 2007 Report Share Posted January 27, 2007 Hi all The water at home here comes out of the tap at a pH of about 8.0 - 8.2. I use an acid buffer to reduce the pH to 7 before adding it to my aquarium water. The problem is, after a few days, the pH is starting to go up to the 7.4 - 7.6 mark. I'm sure this is something to do with the hardness, right? Is it carbonate hardness that works with pH? (I'm no good with chemistry ) So, how do you stop this happening? It must be stressful for the fish (although I can't see any visible signs of stress...). Is it because of the dodgy Brisbane water? What is that is causing the pH to gradually rise? Is there something I can get to add to the water to make it a bit more stable? Some sort of buffer? And a test kit to measure whatever the problem is? I'd really like to be able to make it more stable. Any help appreciated. Cheers O :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted January 28, 2007 Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 Hi Olivia Black water extract, IAL and driftwood all release tannins that would hopefully counteract the effect. What acid buffer do you use? Incidentally, I don't think 7.4 or 7.6 is that bad, if it stays around that mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leela Posted January 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 I use Seachem Acid Buffer, and today have switched to Seachem Neutral Regulator 7.0, I'll see if that helps. Incidentally, my GH measured 10, and KH is 7. Are those ok numbers? Lilli I'd like to have the water at 6.8 - 7.0 if possible, for other types of fishies. :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted January 28, 2007 Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 take out: any black or white gravel or rocks, slate, shells, crushed coral, or other 'up' things add: wood, peat moss (even bagged in the filter if needs be) IAL etc. Tannic acid will bring it down. If you don't add things like neutral reg very regularly, they are more hassle than they are worth. If your waster changes are more than 7 days apart then you are pretty much going to get a fluctuation with the current setup, it will naturally creep back to where it is most stable. For the moment, increase those water changes to keep it stable. I never really managed to wrap my head around hardness, so far have managed to fluke it/do it by trial and error. I can't help with the readings My parents have liquid rock water, 8.2 out of the tap, and when I had my tanks there that is exactly where they sat. Inhabitants included kuhlies, cories, bettas, platies, SAE, otos and your standard mish mash of trops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xysti53 Posted January 28, 2007 Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 What part of Brisvagas are you in - remeber that differnt areas draw water from different catchments, and with the water levels as they are at the moment all sorts of crap if being used in the water. I live in the northern suburbs and have no trounle with the ph as is but still try to keep it for a few days in holding tanks and treating and testing it and before doing water changes with it. Peat moss in a bag in your filter will help to stablize your ph at a lower level. Graeme http://ausaqua.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leela Posted January 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 Thanks guys. http://ausaqua.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif Calla - there is no gravel in these tanks I'm worried about, they used to be spawn tanks so are bare bottomed. At the moment they're just housing a few pairs of peppermint BN's. THey all have a nice chunk of wood in them leaking a bit of tannin which I thought might help. I tried the neutral regulator yesterday and it was no help at all. I dumped about 3x recommended dose in my WC water and it still sat on 8.0. SO back to acid buffer I go. http://ausaqua.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif Graeme - I'm on the south east side. I have a couple of 60L buckets I age my water in for a week before adding it to the tanks. Initally the de-chlorinator and a bit of salt goes in, then just before I add it to the tanks I add the acid buffer and check the pH is 7.0. I might try the peat moss, is it just the stuff you get from Bunnings, the same stuff I grow my grindals in? It's pretty fine, do I need to boil it first? Thanks for the help everyone. Cheers O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren MacFish Posted January 28, 2007 Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 Any time you use buffer you run the risk of swings. I don't think 8 is too horrendous for bettas, use driftwood and ketapang in all the tanks to lower it a little naturally or else you'll have to get an obsessive compulsive disorder just to keep it in check. IMHO swings are more dangerous than being a little high all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xysti53 Posted January 28, 2007 Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 Leela I find it strange that in a bare tank with no gravel and only a piece of timber that your PH should rise. Under normal conditions you would expect the PH to drop due to fish waste. Obviously the buffer is not doing it's job, or there is somthing in the tank causing it to get used up quickly. Have you got filters running and what media have you got in the filters? Maybe something is leeching out of the media? What food do you feed and how often? I don't know what is causing your problem but check everything. Be careful when you buy peat moss, read the label carefully, some brands have fertilizer added and you do NOT want them. Graeme http://ausaqua.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leela Posted January 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2007 THanks again guys. Bren - Once more, I'm keen to stabilise the tanks at a neutral to slightly acidic pH for my bristlenose's sake - in case they would like to breed one day soon.... http://ausaqua.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif (They like a little lower) As I mentioned before they already have driftwood in the tanks. I keep my bettas at a pH of about 7.4, I just want the BN tanks to be a bit lower. Graeme - the tanks have air driven sponge filters, one single and one double in each, with a good steady flow to circulate the water for the fish. All bare bottomed apart from the wood. There's a little java moss in there, and some weird looking snails (little black ones, and some long spirally ones, no idea what they are... ) The BN get a varied diet of either Zucchini, pumpkin, shelled peas, spirulina pellets, green beans (whatever is in the fridge really) every day or every second day, and once a week either a bloodworm or two, or a little Tim Addis Grade 3. They are well fed but not fat by any means. I can add a hang on filter to each if necessary and give the peat a go? *very confused now* http://ausaqua.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif http://ausaqua.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif Just out of interest, how do people who keep lower pH loving fishies like discus deal with probs like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 Just out of interest, how do people who keep lower pH loving fishies like discus deal with probs like this? They keep African cichlids instead http://ausaqua.net/forum/public/style_emoticons//cool.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren MacFish Posted January 29, 2007 Report Share Posted January 29, 2007 I dealt with it by finding out it was an extremely complicated chemical process and gave up measuring and adjusting the pH... works great for me. I suppose you could find low pH or more neutral water to add to your tap water... that'd be the simplest way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterJ Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 I kept bettas for a few years just down the road at Mt Gravatt and never had a hassle (though I don't measure pH and I don't do that many water changes...). If the fish grow well and don't get sick I wouldn't worry too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted January 30, 2007 Report Share Posted January 30, 2007 Just out of interest, how do people who keep lower pH loving fishies like discus deal with probs like this? They use RO water and add necessary bits and pieces to it before it goes in the tank, that way they know exactly what they are getting and how it should behave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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