Ph way up after water change ...

[trennamw]

My first time using a python for a water change, and the ph ended up at 8 instead of 7.5!

At first I thought I'd done the math wrong and added too much buffer but it seems my tap is actually really high. So doing another water change won't help. The city adds stuff to raise ph and we appear to be having a spike, the first I've seen in a year on this water supply).

It's a 56 gallon column, I don't have distilled water on hand, or anyone who can run it over to me, and I've got a sick kiddo asleep ...

The TDS hasn't changed more than 5 points, and I have read it's osmotic stress that's actually far worse for fish than ph change (in fact, there was speculation in that study that many illnesses blamed on ph swing are more from osmotic stress) ...

Ideas? Or will it just be ok?

I took out half the water, added 60 gallons worth of stress coat dechlorinator to the tank, added water, and while the water was running I gradually added the things I always add to get GH and KH up to 3-4 degrees. GH and KH are 4 as usual.

The fish are having a fine time, no sign of distress. Tetras, danios, Rasboras, Otos, teeny loaches.




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

 

[coralbandit]

.5 is not a huge jump IMO.
The tds is more relevant like you mentioned I believe.
Possibly the tap water needs to "off gas" and then the pH will be back to closer to tank levels before water change.

 

[Linwood]

+1

If you are going to use tap water just let them get used to it. Don't add KH buffer if your tap water PH is too high. Don't try to add something to reduce the PH as it will be an exercise in frustration.

If you added a lot of KH buffer you can reduce it by doing another water change without KH buffer. There's a more or less direct relationship between KH and PH (plus or minus aeration and a bit of temperature variation, and whether there's anything else PH-active in the tank like carbonate rocks).

KH in the 4 range usually yields high 7's, around 7.7 or 7.8.

 

[threnjen]

I wouldn't worry about it. It's not that big of a swing.

I do 60%ers and have never lost a fish to a water change, always using my python

 

[trennamw]

+1

If you are going to use tap water just let them get used to it. Don't add KH buffer if your tap water PH is too high. Don't try to add something to reduce the PH as it will be an exercise in frustration.

If you added a lot of KH buffer you can reduce it by doing another water change without KH buffer. There's a more or less direct relationship between KH and PH (plus or minus aeration and a bit of temperature variation, and whether there's anything else PH-active in the tank like carbonate rocks).

KH in the 4 range usually yields high 7's, around 7.7 or 7.8.

Yeah sounds like the lecture I give quite often ... My tap has a KH and GH of about 1/10 to 1/5th of a degree depending on the time of year, but the pH is high 7s. Left alone it drops to 6 in a matter of days, then a water change makes it swing high again. Lost a lot of fish till I started buffering. KH of 4 usually has one tank a little over 7 and one a little under (both get the same water, both are consistent, neither is ever the same).

I don't use acid and alkaline buffer, that was a mess. I read in a book to use buffered cichlid salts in very soft water and Threnjen turned me on to equilibrium for GH and shooting for 3-4. Turns out my local, giant, nationally renowned LFS uses a 1/3 dose of Rift Lake Cichlid salts in all of their tanks to get GH and KH up to 3-4 and runs pH just above neutral. So I'll stick with that.

And I appreciate the reassurance that when the city dumps extra stuff in the water, I can keep at my normal routine. I will start testing the ph of the tap though ... Since it varies I can do smaller water changes more often if it's really high like this week.


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