I've filled my tank after putting in 3M CQ and several decorations(all fake plants and decos). I tested the rock with vinegar and they did not fizz. Everything I've put in is supposed to be made or safe for aquariums. I have been running the filter, heater, and air pump for 2 days now(no ammonia added yet), and the pH of the water in my tank has risen from an original of 7.6 out of the tap(well), to about 8.3 in those 2 days. Last night I put a cup of water on the counter and let it sit. When I tested that today, it had risen up to 7.8-7.9 already. I'm perplexed.
Ph Rising
- Thread starter 190MPH
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This is quite common and not unusual at all. It would be unusual to get an accurate result from testing water freshly drawn from the tap.
When water comes out of the tap it can have a fair amount of dissolved carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is very unstable in water and gasses off quite readily even with little or no surface movement.
As carbon dioxide lowers the pH of water, when it gasses off, the pH will rise. As an experiment, you could let a bucket of water sit, and another identical bucket sit but with a powerhead in it to disturb the surface of the water. The pH of the water with the powerhead in should rise quicker as the surface agitation speeds up gaseous exchange.
The opposite effect can also occur in water which has been treated with chlorine. Chlorine is a base and will raise the pH of water, but is also quite unstable in water. As the chlorine gasses off, the pH will drop.
It really depends on what's in the water coming out your tap.
Cheers
BTT
When water comes out of the tap it can have a fair amount of dissolved carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is very unstable in water and gasses off quite readily even with little or no surface movement.
As carbon dioxide lowers the pH of water, when it gasses off, the pH will rise. As an experiment, you could let a bucket of water sit, and another identical bucket sit but with a powerhead in it to disturb the surface of the water. The pH of the water with the powerhead in should rise quicker as the surface agitation speeds up gaseous exchange.
The opposite effect can also occur in water which has been treated with chlorine. Chlorine is a base and will raise the pH of water, but is also quite unstable in water. As the chlorine gasses off, the pH will drop.
It really depends on what's in the water coming out your tap.
Cheers
BTT
what substraight are you using as some sands can effect water perameters?
what is the KH of your water? if your Kh is low the tiniest thing could alter or even crash the ph.
There is quite an informative section on water perameters and ph on here somewhere.
what is the KH of your water? if your Kh is low the tiniest thing could alter or even crash the ph.
There is quite an informative section on water perameters and ph on here somewhere.
drobbyb
Bowhead
I agree with BTT. Carbon dioxide is often found in water straight out of the tap. When CO2 is dissolved into water, carbonic acid is formed which in turn lowers the pH. When CO2 leaves the water, the true pH shows. The best way to test this is to leave a glass of tap water out overnight and test in the morning. You have done this already. That's a high pH, but not too high. You should be fine with that pH and most tropical fish as they will adapt to your water conditions. If you get your fish locally, they will probably be acclimated to your area's pH. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the replies. It seems that when testing both the tank and the cup left out for comparison again, they have evened out at about 8.2 pH. So I now know it was nothing in the tank, but rather the degassing of the well water. I have added the ammonia to about 4ppm to get the cycle started. I will be posting soon on possible stocking schemes.
Miss Wiggle
Practically perfect in every way
also some water companies will use water softners to make the water come out of the tap at a lower pH, remember the main aim for water companies is to make their water safe for drinking, washing cooking etc, all of which happens fairly shortly after the water comes out of the tap. the water company don't really care about the effect 24 hrs later or anything like that, fishkeeping is not their first priority (shocking i know!). these softners only have a temporary effect, they always wear off shortly afterwards so this could be what's happening for you.
good news is though that the bacteria you want in your cycle process will love the nice high pH so touch wood you'll have a nice speedy cycle.
good news is though that the bacteria you want in your cycle process will love the nice high pH so touch wood you'll have a nice speedy cycle.
waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
I think you've come the right conclusion 190, it would be easy for well water to perhaps have a higher CO2 content than that which a water company typically delivers and so in your case perhaps a lot of that CO2 gasses out and your pH rises a lot more than we typically see.
You are the first to have a pH of 8.2, right in the middle of what Hovanec says is the perfect 8.0 to 8.4 range for the beneficial bacteria, so we're going to be counting on you to have the fastest fishless cycle ever!
~~waterdrop~~
You are the first to have a pH of 8.2, right in the middle of what Hovanec says is the perfect 8.0 to 8.4 range for the beneficial bacteria, so we're going to be counting on you to have the fastest fishless cycle ever!
~~waterdrop~~
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