Another pH question please.

[imw]

Hi,

Went to my local LFS (5 minutes down the road) this am to question them on the advice given yesterday on the test result they did on my water for pH, which was 6.5) and why I was given the advice to buffer.

They advised our local water authority (Yorkshire water) add what they described as a temporary buffer to our water supply and said if I were to take a jug of water out of tap and left it for a week I would find the pH to be 5ish.

So, is this just rubbish or is there some truth here. So am asking is "should I buffer my water each time I do a water change." (I plan to keep more fish going forward and these will fish that like a pH of 6-7. -My current test on pH shows) 7 (API master test kit.)

Thoughts please - I do not want to begin taking the advice given by LFS without your help.

Thanks

 

[Deleted member 149562]

I live in North Yorkshire and I absolutely will not use tapwater in my aquariums.

Every single time I have done in the past I get massive phosphate increase and pH instability.

I suggest that you enter your postcode on this page from Yorkshire water, it will give you the exact formulation of your water, although it says for hardness, the page will give you every single value of the water in your tap. You can then judge for yourself what measures that you need to take.

Yorkshire Water - Check your water hardness

Providing essential water and waste water services is only the start of what we do. Find out where we are now and where we plan to be in 25 years time. Do you have hard water? Find out more about the water hardness in your area with Yorkshire Water. Water hardness is the measure of the...

www.yorkshirewater.com

I use bottled mineral water since RO is not an option. The tapwater is only good enough for flushing the loo and doing laundry/dishwashing and it kills kettles.

 

[Essjay]

They advised our local water authority (Yorkshire water) add what they described as a temporary buffer to our water supply and said if I were to take a jug of water out of tap and left it for a week I would find the pH to be 5ish.

You could try doing that to see what happens to the pH.

 

[imw]

I live in North Yorkshire and I absolutely will not use tapwater in my aquariums.

Every single time I have done in the past I get massive phosphate increase and pH instability.

I suggest that you enter your postcode on this page from Yorkshire water, it will give you the exact formulation of your water, although it says for hardness, the page will give you every single value of the water in your tap. You can then judge for yourself what measures that you need to take.

Yorkshire Water - Check your water hardness

Providing essential water and waste water services is only the start of what we do. Find out where we are now and where we plan to be in 25 years time. Do you have hard water? Find out more about the water hardness in your area with Yorkshire Water. Water hardness is the measure of the...

www.yorkshirewater.com

I use bottled mineral water since RO is not an option. The tapwater is only good enough for flushing the loo and doing laundry/dishwashing and it kills kettles.

Thanks have done that a number of times to date. (HG1) area.

ATB

 

[Colin_T]

As @Essjay said, get a bucket of tap water and test the pH and anything else you can test for straight out of the tap. Write the results down and let that bucket of water stand for 1 week. Test the water each day during the week and compare the results.

The pH can change when water comes out of the tap due to the dissolved gasses in the water being forced out when the water is under pressure in the pipes. After the water comes out of the pipes and is allowed to aerate (get exposed to the air), the dissolved gasses can get back into the water and change the pH.

The most commonly seen effect of this is the pH goes up a little bit but it can also go down a bit.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Thanks have done that a number of times to date. (HG1) area.

ATB

Using the YW website you can aske them to email you when they are performing work and testing in your area/postcode. They will give you around 7-10 days notice which should give you ample time to sort out any alternative water supplies to cover.

You can also request a tapwater sample test to be done, they are free of charge.

Any issues with your water can be individually tested and checked by YW (as with all water companies). There is even a difference caused by type of pipework....the old ceramic pipes will often give different results to the plastic (I discovered this by chance when I lived down south).

Any instabilities can be looked into by the water company, they are more than happy to do that and generally without charge. Even a tree root intruding into a water pipe can alter things drastically. I would be inclined to give YW a call and speak to them. If nothing can be done, then you will have to keep only fish able to survive in your conditions since buffering can be quite difficult to maintain week in/week out. It may well end up with limiting your species choice....but talk to them, see what they suggest.

 

[imw]

Using the YW website you can aske them to email you when they are performing work and testing in your area/postcode. They will give you around 7-10 days notice which should give you ample time to sort out any alternative water supplies to cover.

You can also request a tapwater sample test to be done, they are free of charge.

Any issues with your water can be individually tested and checked by YW (as with all water companies). There is even a difference caused by type of pipework....the old ceramic pipes will often give different results to the plastic (I discovered this by chance when I lived down south).

Any instabilities can be looked into by the water company, they are more than happy to do that and generally without charge. Even a tree root intruding into a water pipe can alter things drastically. I would be inclined to give YW a call and speak to them. If nothing can be done, then you will have to keep only fish able to survive in your conditions since buffering can be quite difficult to maintain week in/week out. It may well end up with limiting your species choice....but talk to them, see what they suggest.

Will do - thanks.

ATB

 

[Byron]

They advised our local water authority (Yorkshire water) add what they described as a temporary buffer to our water supply and said if I were to take a jug of water out of tap and left it for a week I would find the pH to be 5ish.

So, is this just rubbish or is there some truth here. So am asking is "should I buffer my water each time I do a water change." (I plan to keep more fish going forward and these will fish that like a pH of 6-7. -My current test on pH shows) 7 (API master test kit.)

I agree with Colin's explanation of how/why pH can change in tap water [I have this issue here too, they are now adding soda ash], so will not get into that. But I will answer your question here as it is significant to the well-being of the fish.

Provided you stay with soft water species, leave the pH alone. Do not buffer it. The pH in my tanks is so low I cannot even measure it, and I had a test that went down to 5 and the test colour was a stronger yellow than that. The pH will establish itself according to the biological system. It will be stable, with regular partial water changes, and assuming everything else is in balance.

I buffered two of my tanks some years back (1990's) with dolomite in a nylon bag in the filter. It kept the pH at 6.6 in those two tanks, when the source water was again at or below 5. I do not think anything was gained doing this, to be honest, but I listened to the ramblings and did it for several years. For the last 12 or so, I have not done this, just letting the pH do what it wants. I have soft or very soft water fish, and my GH is basically zero, and the fish are thriving.