Angels in high ph?

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famman

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Aug 16, 2002
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Los Angeles, CA
I have 8.0 + ph tap water. I'm having trouble interpreting the ap high range ph test, but it claims my tank is 7.8, I think maybe more like 8.2.
Does anyone have angels in that ph range? how are they doing?
thanx,
:)
 

valerie

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Apr 18, 2001
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Edmonton, AB
I keep my angel in Ph 7.8 gh11. Don't know about keeping them any higher then that. over ph8.0 seems a little high though. But if you aclimate them properly who knows!

Also what are the problems you are having with your ph test? maybe check your city water company to get the real reading then test with your test to see if it is working.
 

famman

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Aug 16, 2002
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Los Angeles, CA
The ap high range ph test shows sort of a red color like the 8.2, but also looks similiar to the light brown or orange of the 7.8 reading. It's very hard to decide which it is. Other ph tests show a blue which indicates near the 8.0 range, but still, the 'intensity' of the blue leaves ambiguity on what the ph actually is. Very very annoying.
My surviving young angel seems ok, I lost the other of the two due to stress or fin rot or both. He spent a day or two weak and gasping at the top of the water before he died. I was wondering if he had a bad time adjusting to my high ph.

:)
 

Harry Tolen

Cichlid Fan
Aug 17, 2000
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Union, WA, USA
Fish kept in environmental conditions for which they are not naturally adapted are under constant stress. This leads to a breakdown of their immune systems, and they are then highly susceptible to diseases that otherwise would not have bothered them.

The idea that a fish can evolve for millions of years for particular water conditions (pH, hardness, specific trace mineral content, etc.) and then "acclimate" to completely different conditions over the space of a few months (or even over a few generations of breeding) is false. The fish in question may survive, depending on the durability of the species, for quite a while, but it will always be fighting osmotic pressures and other environmental factors for which its systems are not adapted, and this will lead to a shorter lifespan. Sometimes much shorter.

Chemical treatments which lower the pH will not really address the mineral content issues, especially if you keep up a healthy maintenance routine and do regular water changes. So, if you really want to keep softwater species and keep them healthy I would recommend getting an R/O unit (a low capacity unit is not that expensive on-line), and then using that water 50/50 with your tapwater for changes. This softer water will be more to your angels' liking. When I lived in LA and had discus, angels, and apistos, this is how I kept them happy.
 

Reiner

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Dec 2, 2002
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Is the store you bought it from close to your house? Then they probably have the same water conditions as you have. Call them and find out if they know what there Ph is. If they claim that it is neutral which is 7 ask them what they use to get it down to that number. Sadly Angels are so overbred in our days that lots of them are not strong anymore and die easily. I had the same problem with fin rot.
 

Mr.Jingles

It's Aqua Live!
Aug 26, 2000
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MI, USA
a solution to high pH is decaying matter, such as a log or peat filtering.

my 7.8 tap was lowered down to 6.4 in my 55 from the addition of 3 new uncured logs from the beach.

may not be true of all logs, but it works for me.
 

famman

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Aug 16, 2002
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Los Angeles, CA
My kh is 5 degrees, my gh is 8.
thanks for all the replies
:)
 

SnakeIce

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May 4, 2002
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Angelsplus.com says that their water supply is about 8. to 8.2 and they do not adjust the ph in their tanks. their angel grow out tanks get a steady complete water change every 36 to 72 hours so they could not keep a steady ph other than leaving it natural.
 
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