Ph Is Changing

[OldMan47]

A lime softener will definitely drive the pH of your water high. The lime bed used in that scheme will sometimes "carry over" into the outlet flow and you will almost always have a small amount of lime in the water. To a fishkeeper, it means you will probably have a high KH with a somewhat lower GH. Very little that you can do with chemicals will make any difference. If you need to lower your pH it will probably be necessary to use RO or similar water to dilute the water to manageable KH levels. A lime softener is an older technology, that does work for softening water, that my company used 30 years ago to soften water but later decided to replace with a partial RO process where they mix RO back in with well water to get the desired hardness. That type of softener is still used by many smaller water companies where the cost of an RO type system can't be justified.

 

[kcharley]

A lime softener will definitely drive the pH of your water high. The lime bed used in that scheme will sometimes "carry over" into the outlet flow and you will almost always have a small amount of lime in the water. To a fishkeeper, it means you will probably have a high KH with a somewhat lower GH. Very little that you can do with chemicals will make any difference. If you need to lower your pH it will probably be necessary to use RO or similar water to dilute the water to manageable KH levels. A lime softener is an older technology, that does work for softening water, that my company used 30 years ago to soften water but later decided to replace with a partial RO process where they mix RO back in with well water to get the desired hardness. That type of softener is still used by many smaller water companies where the cost of an RO type system can't be justified.

Wow! Great info. Confirms my gut instinct to avoid chemicals. I did buy some RO yesterday from the LFS and mixed it with tap water to get a PH that matches the established aquarium. Did a 30% water change last night. This morning's stats are good and the fish are active, well colored and seem happy. Looks like I will have to think about getting a small RO unit so I can minimize car trips, especially as we add more aquariums.

While it easy to complain about LFS and government, there are two positives out of my experience.

First, the LFS is owner-operated. I asked for water not specifying salt or fresh. The owner recognized me, remembered I had fresh water fish and never even asked. Just gave me fresh water. While they are more expensive than the box stores, I am delighted by someone knowledgeable who remembers me and knows what I need.

Second, while the local water district is using an old technolgy to treat water it is effective and what they have. While the water may not be good for fish, their mission is water for human consumption. My view is they are being careful with the money they spend and just don't go to price increases and bond issues to have the latest and greatest technology. Nice to see that some government units spend money wisely. (I don't want a political discussion. I'm just trying to pay a compliment for a job well done. )

Oldman47, thank you for the advice and insight. You and other experienced members make this a great site for newbs like me.