Help!!! The pH is higher in my aquarium than it is in my tap water even though I inje

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Jeremy S

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Jun 26, 2002
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The pH in my aquarium is 7.0 - 7.1 and the pH in our tap water is 6.4 – 6.5. I inject CO2 at one bubble per second into my aquarium so I was wondering why my tap water has a lower pH than my aquarium. The kh is also lower in the tap water. The aquariums kh is 4 and the tap water kh is 3. Shouldn’t it be just the opposite if I inject co2? What could be making the water have a higher pH in the aquarium? Is it ok to do a water change? Wouldn’t it hurt the fish with such a big pH swing if I did a water change? Ever since about a month and a half ago my fish have been getting sick 3 of my dwarf neon rainbow fish died within the same week and now our serpae tetras are all starting to die. Every time I do a water change all of the fish really stress out and start breathing really fast. What should I do about it? I need Help!!!
 
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SBA has the carbonate/CO2 bases covered.

I wonder, from the immediate stress reaction, whether the utility isn't slipping chloramines into the water. This can be seasonal. Under a Corporate Nationalist regime, water utilities feel less obliged to inform you of these "internal matters."
 
If you let your tapwater sit out a day and then re-test it, you may find that the pH has risen towards its level in your aquarium. This would suggest that your water as it comes from the well has a high level of CO2. the end-product of microbial metabolisms working on the dissolved organics that were originally in the surface runoff that replenishes the aquifer the well draws upon. This is quite common and natural.

Your wellwater may also be depleted in oxygen, from the same reasons.

It's always good practice to let wellwater "cure" a couple of days in a plastic tub before adding it to aquariums.

Try the "curing" process and see whether that relieves the stresses that are killing fish.

HTH!
 
i know this off subject now but i had to return my channel catfish and black ghost knife to my lfs cause they got too big :(
 
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