Ph level

was it always 7.2 until today? whats the ph of your tap water. test it for a few more days to see if it stays stable and check it at the same time everyday. you don't have yo mess with the PH just make sure it stays stable and you will be ok.

My pH seems to jump up between the tap and the tank. I "age" water in jugs. When the water comes out of my tap it's around 7.2. By the time I'm ready to do a water change with my aged water, the pH jumps up to around 7.6 to 7.8.

The water in my tank is 7.8, and my fish don't seem to mind it. I have had forum members tell me that a steady pH that is on the high side is better than one that keeps fluctuating.

I used to add a pH stabilizer to get it to 7.0, but found that I spent alot of money on something I didn't need.

It is not uncommon for tap water to contain dissolved carbon dioxide, which is acidic in solution. In these cases, as the CO2 offgasses into the air, the pH of the water will climb. You can easily check to see if this is the problem in your case. Just draw some tap water into a clean glass, let it sit overnight, and then check pH.

Using pH Down and other pH-adjusters is very often (almost always?) a losing proposition. Generally what tends to happen is that pH drops immediately after adding the stuff, then rebounds by the next day. This pH yo-yo routine is much more stressful on fish than just keeping them in the higher pH water. I keep lots of fish in my pH 7.6 - 7.8 water that are supposed to need soft acidic water, and many others do, too.

With some fish, who are either very sensitive (e.g., discus) or that are being encouraged to breed, the pH is more critical. Mostly, stability is more important.

HTH,
Jim

As mentioned, a steady pH is FAR more important than a specific pH (unless you're trying to breed discus, or something of that sort). Also, chemically trying to alter pH is a disaster waiting to happen. If you find your pH to tend to stay rather high, you can consider using peat moss in your filter to lower it...in a natural, steady manner. Driftwood also has a slight affect on pH because it releases tannins. Also, if you have plants (and even if you don't) you can inject co2 into the tank to keep the pH lower, although I'd opt against this unless you know how to keep the co2 ppms steady.

As for transferring the fish, do what you do when you get new fish. Remove the fish from their current tank and place them into some sort of clean container. Gradually add water from the tank that they will be going into. That way the shift isn't quite so sudden

The ph in my 55gal. is pretty high also, 7.6 to 7.8 I have never really worried about it before, the fish don't seem to mind, they have proven to be very hardy to my novice skills.
I use well water to fill the tank, which has a high ph on it's own. So I was thinking of using distilled bottled water, which has a low ph (like 6.9) when I do water changes or when I need to replace some water. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Should I not bother and continue with the well water? I always try NOT to use any kind of chemicals in the tank.
btw the fish in the tank are a pair of jags and a pair of dempseys, I've had for about two years.

Don't use distilled water unless you feel like buying a water supplement. Distilled water lacks all of the nutrients and minerals that are necessary to keep fish healthy and happy. We get all of our minerals from food, but fish absorb theirs through their environment. Granted, you can use it, you just need to find a mixutre that can be sold with RO water/units.

A constant pH is much more important that a specific target pH. Also, 7.8ish isn't that high...not high enough to make a big difference, especially if the fish are accustomed to it. Tetras can even be okay in a pH that high...