Ph too high - need help!

[K8lee]

I agree with those members who have written to say that bottled and RO water are needless expenses, that 7.5 is not a very high Ph, and that all the swings in Ph are stressful for the fish.

The main thing about guppies - they don't tolerate fluctuations in the Ph. Although they require higher Ph for breeding purposes, they do quite well in neutral water provided their diet is rich in both protein and vegetable matter.

Providing a consistent water chemistry is preferrable to ideal parameters, and chosing the fish that will do well in your tap water is easier and less expensive than trying to manipulate the chemistry every time you perform water changes and top-offs. Test your well water regularly, as the chemistry can change rapidly during high rainfall and drought as well as snow melt.

 

[jpappy789]

I agree with those members who have written to say that bottled and RO water are needless expenses, that 7.5 is not a very high Ph, and that all the swings in Ph are stressful for the fish.

The main thing about guppies - they don't tolerate fluctuations in the Ph. Although they require higher Ph for breeding purposes, they do quite well in neutral water provided their diet is rich in both protein and vegetable matter.

Providing a consistent water chemistry is preferrable to ideal parameters, and chosing the fish that will do well in your tap water is easier and less expensive than trying to manipulate the chemistry every time you perform water changes and top-offs. Test your well water regularly, as the chemistry can change rapidly during high rainfall and drought as well as snow melt.

pH fluctuations are minor compared to changes in TDS, although generally they go hand in hand.

 

[amyezar]

Wow, I've learned a lot myself reading this thread. I love AC!!! Thanks for all the good info.

 

[KarlTh]

Colinsk - you may be in a minority, but you're dead right. How the "pH swings kill fish" myth continues given the fluctuations found in both natural lakes and planted aquaria I do not know, but it's extremely pervasive. Sudden pH changes simply do not bother fish; I move fish from a pH 7.4 QT tank to a pH 6 - 7 (depending on time of day) planted, CO2 injected, peat filtered display tank and they adapt to the pH change via water mixing in just a few minutes with no ill effects.

It's a myth that's hard to counter, especially with the industry making so much money selling pH adjusting snake oil.

 

[akg]

Please forgive my ignorance - could someone explain what TDS stands for? Thanks again for all the comments.

akg

 

[krytan]

Please forgive my ignorance - could someone explain what TDS stands for? Thanks again for all the comments.

akg

Total dissolved solids.

 

[mel_20_20]

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) are all compounds and elements dissolved in water. They cannot be filtered out. TDS affects other water quality measures such as Hardness, Salinity, and Conductivity.

I love this subject but I'm still trying to understand the complexties of it.

Search the threads. There are some very lengthy discussions by KarlTH and DrVader about ph, TDS, osmotic shock, and GH and KH. Very educational.

 

[mel_20_20]

Here's a link to a pretty good article on the subject of TDS.
http://www.water-research.net/totaldissolvedsolids.htm

This is an excerpt: "Total dissolved solids (TDS) comprise inorganic salts (principally calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides and sulfates) and some small amounts of organic matter that are dissolved in water."

This is from an article by Wilkes University, Center for Environmental Quality, Department of
Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences

 

[akg]

Thank you all for this information. I'm trying very hard to wrap my brain around all of it! At any rate, I did a small exchange this morning using only well water, and I'll keep doing this for a while.

akg

 

[A. Nonymous]

Colinsk - you may be in a minority, but you're dead right. How the "pH swings kill fish" myth continues given the fluctuations found in both natural lakes and planted aquaria I do not know, but it's extremely pervasive. Sudden pH changes simply do not bother fish; I move fish from a pH 7.4 QT tank to a pH 6 - 7 (depending on time of day) planted, CO2 injected, peat filtered display tank and they adapt to the pH change via water mixing in just a few minutes with no ill effects.

It's a myth that's hard to counter, especially with the industry making so much money selling pH adjusting snake oil.

I think the reason the myth persists is that a ph swing is usually accompanied by something that is harmful to fish (i.e. build up ammonia, build up of fish wastes, overdose of CO2, etc...). It's not actually the PH swing that kills the fish, but the underlying cause. The PH swing is just more evident because it's very easily measured.