PH is it a problem?

[Flossybean]

Your GH is as low as you want it for livebearers so do not add deionised, reverse osmosis (R/O), distilled or rain water because it will lower the GH and the livebearers won't do as well. Deionised water might exchange salt (sodium chloride) for calcium in the water, eg: you reduce the calcium but increase the sodium. Calcium is better for fish.

If you want Corydoras julii, they should be ok in the high pH as long as they are captive bred, and they usually are.

Thank you again Colin! Do i need to lower the ph at all? You are such a help thank you x

 

[Colin_T]

Livebearers naturally occur in water with a pH above 7.0 and a GH above 200ppm so don't try to lower either.

You are better off with a stable pH than one which fluctuates. Just leave the pH where it is and avoid keeping soft water fish that live in soft acid water.

If you want soft water fishes like neon tetras, then you should set up another tank and make up water specifically for them.

 

[Flossybean]

Livebearers naturally occur in water with a pH above 7.0 and a GH above 200ppm so don't try to lower either.

You are better off with a stable pH than one which fluctuates. Just leave the pH where it is and avoid keeping soft water fish that live in soft acid water.

If you want soft water fishes like neon tetras, then you should set up another tank and make up water specifically for them.

Ok , thank you for the reassurance x

 

[Byron]

So today 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 10 nitrates, kh 6dkh, gh 196.9ppm
But my ph had now gone up to 8.2
I don't know why. Should i replace some of the water with deionised water?
I appreciate your help x

As Colin said, with livebearers you want harder water and a basic pH (basic meaning above 7) so you have no problem using the tap water. The GH at 196 ppm (9.9 dGH) is as low as you want it for livebearers so do not dilute this water to lower GH/pH. Again, this is what Colin said, I am only reiterating it because other suggestions in this thread seem to be getting mixed or lost.

To the pH, you were going to test the tap water pH after it sat for 24 hours to out-gas the CO2. Did you? Is this the 8.2 mentioned here, or is the 8.2 the tank water?

 

[Byron]

If you want Corydoras julii, they should be ok in the high pH as long as they are captive bred, and they usually are.

I don't know if you have commercial breeders of Corydoras julii in Australia, but any fish of this species in North America will be wild caught unless there is a local breeder, and that is very rare and certainly not commercially available. Europe I am not certain of.

 

[Colin_T]

In Australia we get Corydoras species (including C. julii) from Indonesia where they are bred commercially.

 

[Byron]

In Australia we get Corydoras species (including C. julii) from Indonesia where they are bred commercially.

I would suggest the "julii" are more likely not C. julii but C. trilineatus; I detailed this previously in this thread. If the true C. julii was being farmed in Indonesia, they would be available in North America, and they are not.

Second point to make is that the soft-water fish species bred/raised in SE Asia are bred/raised in soft water comparable to their natural habitats. So this negates the tolerance issue, as commercial breeding alone does not change the physiology of a fish.

 

[Colin_T]

We get C. trilineatus and C. julii from Indonesia.

Some of the breeders in Asia use soft water, some use moderately hard water. Unfortunately we don't get told which breeder supplied which fish so it's a guess as to what they were bred in. But most breeders don't use rain water for breeding them. About the only fish that get bred in rain water now are tetras like neons and cardinals.

 

[Flossybean]

As Colin said, with livebearers you want harder water and a basic pH (basic meaning above 7) so you have no problem using the tap water. The GH at 196 ppm (9.9 dGH) is as low as you want it for livebearers so do not dilute this water to lower GH/pH. Again, this is what Colin said, I am only reiterating it because other suggestions in this thread seem to be getting mixed or lost.

To the pH, you were going to test the tap water pH after it sat for 24 hours to out-gas the CO2. Did you? Is this the 8.2 mentioned here, or is the 8.2 the tank water?

Hi yes i tested the tap water and it was ph 8 , the tank is 8.2 today.
Previously i was testing with test strips and now with the api test kit so I'm thinking that was why there is the change?
Thanks x

 

[Flossybean]

Regarding the corydoras julii I'm in the uk, I'll ask in the shop where their c julii are from, I'm guessing they'll know.

 

[Byron]

Hi yes i tested the tap water and it was ph 8 , the tank is 8.2 today.
Previously i was testing with test strips and now with the api test kit so I'm thinking that was why there is the change?
Thanks x

We seem to have pinned down the tap water to pH 8, so the lower reading earlier in the thread was most likely due to the CO2 in the tap water. One issue resolved.

The aquarium will likely remain around pH 8, since you have some buffering from the GH/KH. The normal biological lowering due to organics from the fish feeding will be countered. Regular (once each week) partial water changes of 50-60% of the tank volume will work with this to maintain stability.

Now to the slight variance, of a decimal point or two (meaning from 7.8 to 8.0 or 8.2)...this is most likely due to the diurnal pH variation. When testing aquarium water it is always advisable to test it at roughly the same time of day each time. In other words, test in the morning an hour or so after the tank light comes on, and test at this time each day you subsequently test. This gives you a better idea of the stability, if the pH is or is not fluctuating. This is due to the normal diurnal fluctuation of pH and GH. Normal tests for pH and GH should be done this way; emergency tests if there is a problem can obviously be done whenever you need to. Going forward, testing pH and nitrates prior to a partial water change will let you see how stable the tank is. In time as an aquarium becomes balanced biologically and established, the pH should never change (except for the diurnal fluctuation) and nitrates should never rise; if either does, something is not right.

To explain the diurnal pH fluctuation. During darkness, the CO2 will increase. During daylight, it decreases. With live plants this is more obvious as the plants use the CO2 during daylight when photosynthesizing. But the fluctuation is usually present even without plants. Algae of course is a lower plant. This diurnal fluctuation has been observed in natural habitats as well as aquaria.

 

[Flossybean]

We seem to have pinned down the tap water to pH 8, so the lower reading earlier in the thread was most likely due to the CO2 in the tap water. One issue resolved.

The aquarium will likely remain around pH 8, since you have some buffering from the GH/KH. The normal biological lowering due to organics from the fish feeding will be countered. Regular (once each week) partial water changes of 50-60% of the tank volume will work with this to maintain stability.

Now to the slight variance, of a decimal point or two (meaning from 7.8 to 8.0 or 8.2)...this is most likely due to the diurnal pH variation. When testing aquarium water it is always advisable to test it at roughly the same time of day each time. In other words, test in the morning an hour or so after the tank light comes on, and test at this time each day you subsequently test. This gives you a better idea of the stability, if the pH is or is not fluctuating. This is due to the normal diurnal fluctuation of pH and GH. Normal tests for pH and GH should be done this way; emergency tests if there is a problem can obviously be done whenever you need to. Going forward, testing pH and nitrates prior to a partial water change will let you see how stable the tank is. In time as an aquarium becomes balanced biologically and established, the pH should never change (except for the diurnal fluctuation) and nitrates should never rise; if either does, something is not right.

To explain the diurnal pH fluctuation. During darkness, the CO2 will increase. During daylight, it decreases. With live plants this is more obvious as the plants use the CO2 during daylight when photosynthesizing. But the fluctuation is usually present even without plants. Algae of course is a lower plant. This diurnal fluctuation has been observed in natural habitats as well as aquaria.

So if i do weekly water changes of 50% to 60%
And always test the water an hour after the lights have gone on, then i should see things stabilising. Thank you for your help