PH of my tap water quite high

[EliseCaelen]

Hey everyone,

Just got my API master test kit and did a pH test on my tapwater. It read quite high, unless I was doing it wrong and that it was alkaline at around 8.0. Is it possible for tapwater to be this alkaline? And if my pH is too high for the fish how do I lower it?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

ph is the measure of acidity of the water. A ph reading of 7.0 is neutral. A ph higher than 7.0 is alkaline, and a ph lower than 7.0 is acidic.

Directions

1. Fill a clean test tube with 5ml of water to be tested (to the line on the tube).
2. Add 3 drops of ph Test Solution , holding the dropper bottle upside down in a completely vertical position to assure uniformity of drops.
3. Cap the test tube and invert several times, to mix the solution.
4. Read the test results by comparing the color of the solution to the ph Color Chart. (Included in the API master test kit.)

You can use API ph UP, or API ph down (in your case up) to make your ph higher. You can also automatically adult ph to a preset level, buy using API PROPER ph, 6.5, 7.0, or 7.5. (Probably 7.5 in your case.)

API ph UP :https://www.chewy.com/api-ph-up-fre...MIo-7su-bc4wIVl6DsCh1rgQDHEAQYASABEgL2wfD_BwE

API PROPER ph: https://www.chewy.com/api-proper-ph...MIzdin1-bc4wIVl6DsCh1rgQDHEAUYASABEgL49_D_BwE

I hope this was helpful!

 

[Essjay]

In the UK the allowed pH range for drinking water is 6.5 to 9.0.


I would not try to alter the pH. Using chemicals to do this just adds 'stuff' to the water and depending on the hardness of your water it probably won't work anyway.

High pH usually, but not always, goes with hard water. Hard water usually has a lot of carbonate in it, and this will work to prevent the pH changing. The chemicals might lower the pH for a short time, then the KH counteracts the chemical and the pH rises again. This constantly changing pH is bad for fish.

The first thing you need to do is find out if you do have hard water, and this information is usually somewhere on your water provider's website. You need a number and the unit rather than some vague words.
If you do have hard water and you want to keep soft water fish, the only way to make the water suitable is by mixing your tap water with pure water - rainwater or reverse osmosis water - to lower the hardness and the pH will quite likely also drop.
But hard water with pH 8.0 is suitable for fish such as livebearers and Rift Lake cichlids.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I wouldn’t use PH Up or Down. Using these products to alter PH can do more harm than good. What fish do you have? Check and see what PH level is best for them. PH also fluctuates during the day so test again at a later time and see what it says.

 

[seangee]

I agree with what has been said about not trying to change it. Fill a glass with tap water and let it stand for a day. Sometimes water companies will add stuff to temporarily boost the pH to prevent pipes from rusting. After 24 hours you will get the "real" pH.

 

[Byron]

I concur with posts 3, 4 and 5. Do NOT ever use pH adjusting solutions. These do impact fish, and they rarely work because pH is tied to other factors, GH, KH, CO2 to name the primary. As others have said, you/we must know the GH (general or total hardness) of your source (tap) water. The KH (alkalinity or carbonate hardness) would also be useful. These you can probably get from your water authority, check their website.

On a technical note, a pH above 7 is not "alkaline," but "basic." The definition changed to avoid confusion over KH which is strictly speaking the alkalinity of water. So a pH below 7 is on the acidic side because of the ions, while a pH above 7 is on the basic side.