Water changes and PH Fluctuations.

[Ziggs180]

I have a bit of an issue with incredibly high PH in my tapwater (Atleast 8.8) and my Tank being about 7.4. Normally I let my replacement water sit for about 2 days so the PH goes down, However my Sister dumped the water a little bit before I was going to do a water change, so now I have to wait 2 more days to do a water change.

Its not really a big deal because I have low Nitrates, But is there a way to decrease the PH, to not cause a massive fluctuation of PH? Or Am i doing all of this for no reason, and could just take the water straight out of the tap and put it into the tank? (with dechlorinators of course).

 

[Flossie]

I have a bit of an issue with incredibly high PH in my tapwater (Atleast 8.8) and my Tank being about 7.4. Normally I let my replacement water sit for about 2 days so the PH goes down, However my Sister dumped the water a little bit before I was going to do a water change, so now I have to wait 2 more days to do a water change.

Its not really a big deal because I have low Nitrates, But is there a way to decrease the PH, to not cause a massive fluctuation of PH? Or Am i doing all of this for no reason, and could just take the water straight out of the tap and put it into the tank? (with dechlorinators of course).

Im also pondering the PH issue... Mine sounds close to yours. I try and do weekly 20-25% PWC I guess it helps to keep from getting a huge swing

 

[librarygirl]

I have a similar issue; my tap water's PH is 8.4 but it gasses out to 7.2. What I do is put the amount of water I want to change out into a larger Rubbermaid tub and add Prime and an air stone and let it aerate for a couple of hours. The air stone speeds up the gas exchange process so the PH drops to normal faster. I have an automatic changer that attaches to the sink and would make water changes so much easier but due to the massive PH difference I don't want to chance using it. It might be ok to do very small water changes from the tap without letting it gas out first but since I do at least 6 gal water changes at a time twice per week I let mine gas out first to be safe. Try the air stone method; it'll work faster without having to let water sit out for days.

 

[Ziggs180]

I'm wondering, If I were to ramp up my powerhead and filter to max speed, would that cause the Water to diffuse and go back down to normal levels? I'm still limited to 15% water changes due to the PH issue, and I lack the equipment to run an airstone at the moment.

 

[Hholly]

I have the same but opposite problem. Tap pH starts at 7.8 then gases out at a stable 8.3. Out of necessity I have done several 50% water changes with the 7.8 water, and fish were fine. Go figure...?