Another soft water question

[trennamw]

How might I slowly transition my tank down to a lower KH and pH?

This time last year I was just starting to understand how my repeated loss of bettas was related to very soft water. I found stability with a betta and later with a community tank by supplementing GH, KH, and pH upward.

As I learn more, I've found the fish I have prefer softer water that's slightly acidic so it seems silly to be purposely making my water harder and more alkaline.

I'd also like to eventually keep discus, but to practice for a long time at keeping soft acidic planted tanks. And to practice on my tetras and rasboras, long before trying discus.

My city's water report, if I'm reading and retyping it correctly, says ...

TDS runs 27-31ppm,
total alkalinity (as CaCO3) runs 6.6-16ppm,
carbonate alkalinity is below test limits,
calcium is 1.4-1.8 ppm,
magnesium .4-.7ppm.

And they use sodium hydroxide to bring pH up close to 8.

There's a lot more in it I'm not sure what's relevant. http://www.portlandoregon.gov/water/article/472937


Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.

 

[Coyne]

So weird that your water is so soft but your pH is so high. I thought that there's a correlation between the two. Do you have trouble with pH swings?
I understood your city's water report about as well as I understood my own's... which is to say very little.
I dont have much to add, but I wanted to follow along as Im always trying to learn more about this kind of stuff.

On a related note, I just got my first TDS meter today and my taps reading is 561. This isnt helpful to you.. I know. I just wanted somebody to feel sorry for me.

 

[trennamw]

So weird that your water is so soft but your pH is so high. I thought that there's a correlation between the two. Do you have trouble with pH swings?

I understood your city's water report about as well as I understood my own's... which is to say very little.

I dont have much to add, but I wanted to follow along as Im always trying to learn more about this kind of stuff.



On a related note, I just got my first TDS meter today and my taps reading is 561. This isnt helpful to you.. I know. I just wanted somebody to feel sorry for me.

Looks like the city artificially raises the pH.

I have in the last had horrible pH swings. Lost several bettas and snails over about 8 months while I learned and tried what the various fish salespeople suggested. I have a big box of chemicals I tried that didn't help.

That's how I ended up using small amounts of API cichlid buffer for KH, and seachem equilibrium for GH. It's the KH that affects pH.




Sent from my iPhone with three hands tied behind my back.