ph far too high

Pretty much explains itself really. If you have questions about tank set-ups, tank furniture, (caves etc) chuck them in here!

Adam
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Post by Adam »

I've used this stuff before, costs a bit doesn't it? It usually will if it's made by Eheim. I've got some cheaper stuff lying around at home, I can't remember the brand for the life of me. I shall post again when I get home. It works well in an internal filter, just rip out the filters internals and place the peat in a filter bag or you'll have one huge clean up operation if you don't. I find it easier to use peat like this, you know me anything for an easier life. If you're using RO water you'll have to watch that your PH doesn't take a dangerous nose dive.
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Post by DANthirty »

mmmmmmmmmm ok adam thanks, yes i do use ro for my water changes , so you reckon it can change the ph that drastic , ok ill have to test ph daily then. Any ideas about making the water too soft??
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McEve
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Post by McEve »

Most catfish don't mind soft water from what I understand, but ciclids and a lot of other fish do! This is a problem in my area as there's no measurable hardness in the water *at* all when it comes out of the tap.

We have to add chemicals, or by other means, get at least a tad bit of hardness in the water...
urchysj

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Post by urchysj »

I thought that what driftwood/peat, etc does, is release tannins and acids which will lower your pH. I do not see how they will affect gh or kh.
BTW, I tried loads of peat and driftwood, but because my kH is VERY high, around 430, my pH did not lower at ALL! I had a huge bag of peat media in my filter for my 20 gal for 3 weeks. PH at the start of this experiment was 8.5. Ph at the end...take a guess....pH 8.5. I believe my kH is far too high for stuff like peat, etc to move. I would have to find a way to REMOVE excess CaCO3 and such to lower my kH. But, I agree with the stable environment idea...my water is so stable nothing affects it...so maybe stick with my high pH and be happy about the stability.
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Post by Adam »

That's right Urchysj, peat/driftwood will lower the PH of your water but has no effect on the KH. If you have a high KH it will counter the effects of peat/driftwood and buffer the PH back up again. This is what you're experiencing, the only real solution is to use RO water.
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Post by Barbie »

My tap water has a pH of 7.8 and a kH of 3-7, depending on the time of year. My zebras aren't getting RO water and are spawning happily, no problem.

RO water has no carbonate hardness, or buffering capacity. It DOES have a pH, just not a stable one. The alkalinity or kH of the water is the water's ability to hold a pH level. With no buffering capacity, the pH will start down with the addition of the smallest amount of acid and just keep falling as waste and other byproducts of aquarium fish build up. For a couple of the blackwater species of fish that I work with, I add enough tap water to reach a kH of 2 degrees, then acid buffer to pull the pH down to 6.8. When added to tanks with a pH of 6.5, it doesn't move the pH at all, and the fish stay happy and healthy. If you are going to modify your pH, it's very important that you stabilize it BEFORE you add it to the aquarium. I personally think RO water won't be needed for success with zebras. I've talked to 3 different people spawning them in liquid rock, literally. Keep up their water quality, aeration, and remember that ammonia is much more toxic at those levels and you should be just fine.

As an aside, the acids released from peat moss will actually affect the kH of the water to some extent, but you will need a pretty good quantity of it, or relatively soft water in the first place to really notice. Mixing your tap water 1/3 to 2/3 RO water and adding a bit of peat should get you easily in the 7 or a bit lower range. Just remember, stability is FAR more important to the fish than exactly matching the pH they were originally collected at.

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