PH question

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Buu

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Apr 2, 2013
Messages
268
So when I started my aquarium (end of feb-ish?) I didn't have a master kit and would always test it at LFS or petsmart weekly. In beginning petsmart said my PH was a low 5. So I buy limestone. After that, they say it went up to a perfect 7. A couple times petsmart said it was 7.5, but LFS said 7 (I trusted LFS more because they were using drops not strips like petsmart). Well I just got my kit in today and eagerly test y water. My PH was 7.8!!!! So I tested my tap out of curiosity and it was a 6.5.

My question is would you take the limestone out? Or what exactly would you do?
 
Good move on buying your own test kit. Have you tried testing your tap water after it has degassed overnight? It will often change after it comes out of the tap. Imho pH is one of the things that are worried about too much. As long as the tap water isn't swinging wildly, almost any freshwater aquarium fish that isn't wild caught should be perfectly fine to keep in your aquarium since they are all very adaptable to the differences in water.

Here is what I would do to get a base line reading on your pH

1. Test water straight from tap
2. Test water that sits overnight
3. Test water in the morning as soon as your light is turned on
4. Test water halfway through your light cycle
5. Test water before turning off the light

Doing all of this will give you a good idea of your pH averages. If you are noticing large fluctuations in your tank pH during day then it would be prudent to look at solutions to add some buffering capacity. But until then I would stop fiddling with your pH until you have something to compare it to.
 
pH Concerns

So when I started my aquarium (end of feb-ish?) I didn't have a master kit and would always test it at LFS or petsmart weekly. In beginning petsmart said my PH was a low 5. So I buy limestone. After that, they say it went up to a perfect 7. A couple times petsmart said it was 7.5, but LFS said 7 (I trusted LFS more because they were using drops not strips like petsmart). Well I just got my kit in today and eagerly test y water. My PH was 7.8!!!! So I tested my tap out of curiosity and it was a 6.5.

My question is would you take the limestone out? Or what exactly would you do?

Hello Buu...

pH isn't as important and you think. As long as the reading is steady, most aquarium fish will adapt to most of our public water supplies. They've be doing this since the fish keeping hobby started.

A pH of between 6.5 and 8 is very tolerable for aquarium fish with the possible exception of very rare species, so if you have a consistent reading in this range, it would stress your fish if you tried to change it.

I just treat my tap water with a chlorine and chloramine remover and it goes directly into the tank.

Not sure there's anything else to it.

B
 
I just have khuli loaches right now. Hmm so I'll test tap water after it sat over night and everything.

I'm hoping I could just use straight tap, and take the limestone out because it is taking up precious space I could be using for plants/decor. Would it be bad for the Khulis to take it out? If the tap over night is within resonable range? Other than the limestone and conditioner, I don't put anything else in the water.
 
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