Water Parameters
- Thread starter Kamdavid
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Do you have any rocks in the tank?
If you get rocks test them by pouring vinegar on them. If it fizzles it will raise the ph
If you get rocks test them by pouring vinegar on them. If it fizzles it will raise the ph
That's weird. Normally driftwood would lower it rather than raise it. What substrate do you have?
The substrate is gravel. Small river rock. The first two months it never affected the ph so didn’t think of that ... what would change the ph all of a sudden now ...?
Was the tap water freshly run? If it was, leave a glass of water to stand over night and test that. It will often be different from freshly run tap water, and is the one that should be compared to the tank water (as that is not fresh out of the tap either)
Given the data, essjay is most likely on the right track.
Tap water often contains dissolved CO2 (carbon dioxide), and depending yupon how much CO2 is in the water, it produces carbonic acid which results in a lower (more acidic) pH. Letting a glass of tap water sit for 24 hours will out-gas any dissolved CO2. The pH test will then be more accurate.
Another thing...the pH of the tap water can change depending upon the source reservoir and the time of year. Over the course of say one year, I would do periodic pH tests of the tap water (always remembering to out-gas the CO2) to see if there is any significant variation. A change for example from pH 7.4 now down to say 7.0 in the late summer, and then up to 7.2 or 7.4 in the winter is worth knowing but nothing to worry about. Or your water authority may have information on this.
The pH is primarily determined by the GH and KH of the source water, and the dissolved CO2.
Tap water often contains dissolved CO2 (carbon dioxide), and depending yupon how much CO2 is in the water, it produces carbonic acid which results in a lower (more acidic) pH. Letting a glass of tap water sit for 24 hours will out-gas any dissolved CO2. The pH test will then be more accurate.
Another thing...the pH of the tap water can change depending upon the source reservoir and the time of year. Over the course of say one year, I would do periodic pH tests of the tap water (always remembering to out-gas the CO2) to see if there is any significant variation. A change for example from pH 7.4 now down to say 7.0 in the late summer, and then up to 7.2 or 7.4 in the winter is worth knowing but nothing to worry about. Or your water authority may have information on this.
The pH is primarily determined by the GH and KH of the source water, and the dissolved CO2.
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