PH/KH/GH and Stocking Option

[FishGuest5123]

Just tested my water to update records and plan stocking for a tank. Why does my PhH measure 7.8 from a tank but 8.0 from the tap? Which should I go by? My GH is 10 or 179, my KH is 6 or 107.4, and my PH is between 7.8 and 8.0. What could I stock this tank with? I had wanted to do cories and neon tetras but I guess that’s out. Help please. Chemistry is not my bag.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Do you have any driftwood in the tank?

If so, it could be causing the ph to drop. I response to a similar thread yesterday, just like this.

“Adding some natural driftwood to your aquarium will safely lower its pH levels. Like Peat Moss, driftwood will release tannins into your tank's water, reducing the pH... You can also boil it in salt water to sterilize it, this will also help stop the driftwood from coloring tank water too much.”

Read this article: https://modestfish.com/how-to-safely-lower-ph-in-your-aquarium/

Hope this helps!

 

[FishGuest5123]

Do you have any driftwood in the tank?

If so, it could be causing the ph to drop. I response to a similar thread yesterday, just like this.

“Adding some natural driftwood to your aquarium will safely lower its pH levels. Like Peat Moss, driftwood will release tannins into your tank's water, reducing the pH... You can also boil it in salt water to sterilize it, this will also help stop the driftwood from coloring tank water too much.”

Read this article: https://modestfish.com/how-to-safely-lower-ph-in-your-aquarium/

Hope this helps!

Thanks so much. I do use driftwood and leaves in many of my tanks. However, the tank I tested was a QT tank with just a little gravel on the bottom and a couple of plastic plants. It has one new goldfish in it right now.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Thanks so much. I do use driftwood and leaves in many of my tanks. However, the tank I tested was a QT tank with just a little gravel on the bottom and a couple of plastic plants. It has one new goldfish in it right now.

What brand/type is the gravel?

 

[FishGuest5123]

I took it out of my tank. Probably Imagitarium.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hmm..Interesting. I was only asking because there are some substrates that are meant to lower the ph of your water. I didn’t know if you had that type.

Now you got me thinking! I’m going to go test my Tap water and tank water right now and see if there is a difference in mine. Stand by.

 

[AquaBarb]

You could of had some Bronze or Albino cories, they have a bigger range than most cories 6.0 to 8.0 Ph. They do perfer sand tho.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Ok, here is what I got...

29g (The most driftwood in any of my tanks): 7.4

10g (Just a little bit of driftwood): 7.6+

Tap: 7.4

I expected the 29g’s pH to be lower, because it has so much driftwood in it. But I didn’t expect my tap and my 10g to be the same!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

You could of had some Bronze or Albino cories, they have a bigger range than most cories 6.0 to 8.0 Ph. They do perfer sand tho.

But she is talking about her QT tank... right?

 

[FishGuest5123]

No, I got water out of QT but looking for stocking options in my 55G. Nothing seems to be working except what I already have.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

No, I got water out of QT but looking for stocking options in my 55G. Nothing seems to be working except what I already have.

That’s a bummer.

I think you should go by the pH from your tank. As you can see from my little “experiment” the actual Parameters of a tank can vary a lot.

 

[Byron]

A pH difference of two decimal points is not even worth considering. The GH and KH will factor in and the pH is not likely to lower much in the tank even with organics, though as these increase it might. There are several factors involved in water chemistry. The diurnal fluctuation of pH is usually in the two to four decimal range, say 6.2 up to 6.5 or 6.6 then back to 6.2, depending.

I have elsewhere mentioned the stability of pH in my tanks for over ten years of at first regular weekly testing and then subsequent random tests for several years. The pH in tank "A" might be 6.2 and in a subsequent test 6.4 or a few weeks later 6.0, theen next week 6.2...but that's it. The tank is obviously stable, which is all that matters.

 

[Colin_T]

Check the pH of the tap water straight out of the tap and after 24 hours.
Tap water can lose gasses when under pressure and this can affect the pH, as can chlorine and other ingredients that get added to the water.

In an aquarium there are acids produced from the fish waste and this can drop the pH.

------------------
Tetras, barbs, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm).
Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies) occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm.
If you have very hard water (GH above 300ppm) then look at African Rift Lake cichlids or use distilled or reverse osmosis water to reduce the GH.

Your GH is slightly too high for most tetras but would be fine for most barbs. It's at the very bottom end for livebearers and too low for Rift Lake cichlids. You could keep rainbowfish and most of them would be fine with that GH and pH.

Most Corydoras would be fine in a GH of 180ppm.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Well, I just tested a number of other tanks who all came out at 7.4 whether or not they had driftwood. Two of my tanks had just had water changes and still tested at 7.4. @Colin_T, would you say my PH is probably closer to 7.4? It use to always stay at 7.5.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Well, I just tested a number of other tanks who all came out at 7.4 whether or not they had driftwood. Two of my tanks had just had water changes and still tested at 7.4. @Colin_T, would you say my PH is probably closer to 7.4? It use to always stay at 7.5.

Well, then, yes. I would say your ph is at 7.4.

As @Byron said, I wouldn’t worry over 0.1 of a reading of ph.