Will the chlorine remover change the pH of my water?
I'm preparing to set up my new tank at my new home. It's well water, no chlorine (not city water, but my own well).
I've used a test kit; my water is very soft (0-1 dGh for carbonate and general hardness both).
When I checked the pH with the first kit, the pH came out as the lowest available on the kit (pH=6) or below. I purchased a second kit which went down to a pH of 5; my check showed the pH was 5 (or below). I was a bit concerned; how low was my pH? I want to breed discus fish, which prefer soft/acidic water, but this is a bit much.
I was checking the water straight of the faucet (there's no chlorine, no need to treat). For kicks, I tried treating a gallon of water with my water conditioner (Jungle tap water conditioner, 1 drop/gallon to remove chlorine, chloramines and neutralize heavy metals). The treated water tested at pH=5.5 -- which is better than 5.0, but ... hmmm ... I'm confused. (Carbonate & general hardness remained the same.)
I tested carefully and re-tested; this is not the pH of my finger at the top of the test tube
Did the water conditioner change the Ph? With soft water, I understand pH is subject to rapid fluctuations. Or perhaps it neutralized heavy metals which were making the water more acidic? Is there a test for heavy metals? (Do I really care about heavy metals?)
Leslie
I'm preparing to set up my new tank at my new home. It's well water, no chlorine (not city water, but my own well).
I've used a test kit; my water is very soft (0-1 dGh for carbonate and general hardness both).
When I checked the pH with the first kit, the pH came out as the lowest available on the kit (pH=6) or below. I purchased a second kit which went down to a pH of 5; my check showed the pH was 5 (or below). I was a bit concerned; how low was my pH? I want to breed discus fish, which prefer soft/acidic water, but this is a bit much.
I was checking the water straight of the faucet (there's no chlorine, no need to treat). For kicks, I tried treating a gallon of water with my water conditioner (Jungle tap water conditioner, 1 drop/gallon to remove chlorine, chloramines and neutralize heavy metals). The treated water tested at pH=5.5 -- which is better than 5.0, but ... hmmm ... I'm confused. (Carbonate & general hardness remained the same.)
I tested carefully and re-tested; this is not the pH of my finger at the top of the test tube
Did the water conditioner change the Ph? With soft water, I understand pH is subject to rapid fluctuations. Or perhaps it neutralized heavy metals which were making the water more acidic? Is there a test for heavy metals? (Do I really care about heavy metals?)
Leslie