High Ph In Tap Water

[tankedagain]

Hi eveyone,
Just moved to a new town in Ohio, set up my tank everthing was going fine until I started getting high ph readings, did water changes, didn't help. Then I checked the tap water, high ph at the tap. What do I do now, use ph stabilizing chemicals in water before changing , in the tank after water change, or is there a trick to getting the tap water ph down. Can't afford to buy water.

 

[karneval]

Don't try any pH stabalizers, they won't do anythink but make the pH go up and down like crazy. I don't know any ways of lowering pH, but some other people on the forum will. I want to say bogwood will, but maybe that makes it higher? I really can't remember. I should learn these things, sorry.

How high is the pH? If it's at or below 8 I wouldn't worry too much, your fish should adapt just fine.

 

[minxfishy]

How high is the ph? What was your ph previously? Are the fish showing any signs of stress from the difference?

Bogwood can lower it a little, but Ive not found it to be a great difference.

Some SA cichlid owners use peat in the filters to lower the ph, but Ive never done it with mine.

You are usually better off leaving the ph alone, providing the fish are acclimatised well rather than using things to lower/higher ph as this can be hit and miss and swinging ph's are worse for the fish than a stable ph.

 

[tankedagain]

Thanks ,
The ph is staying around 8.0- 8.2 . Should I start doing bigger or more often water changes. I usually do around 30% every two weeks.

 

[TylerFerretLord]

Unless you have a species that requires soft water with a low ph(Discus, for example), then the fish should adjust. Stable ph is better than a fluctuating ph.

Chemicals will only make the ph fluctuate, and that's not good. Bogwood will lower it, but once the tannins are all gone it will go back to the high level.

 

[rhostog]

Our pH is around 7.8 - 8 here, and plenty of people keep fish successfully (surprising how many people you meet turn out to have a tank at home!)

In the beginning I tried adjusting it with chemicals, but our water is also hard, and by the next day, the pH would return to what it was before. I was warned that fluctuating pH is much worse than a stable high pH, so I soon stopped that. I've now got a piece of bogwood in the tank, but it only reduces the pH by a very small amount.

The only problem I have now is when I buy new fish, as my favourite shop is in a different water zone from ours with lower pH, but by acclimatising them slowly, I've not lost a fish... yet...

It's different if you already have fish which are more sensitive - I guess we avoid the acid-loving species around here. But I wouldn't recommend adjusting with chemicals - peat and/or bogwood might be a better solution if you need to bring down the pH.

 

[Biulu]

If you come from an area with a significantly lower pH, use peat and slowly acclimatise them. For new fish I always make sure I buy fish that are used to a higher pH, so no import fish for me, only if the dealer has successfully acclimatised them. I am lucky enough to have a reliable lfs in that sense that even refuses to sell me the fish without being properly acclimatised.