I changed my water this weekend and was happily surprised that it came out of the tap at about 7.0 - 7.2, whereas normally it comes out at around 7.6. I am suspecting it is because of the loads of rain we recently had. Anyone else with the same experience or thoughts on the matter? (I'm in Silver Spring, Montgomery County, MD).
Leffler817
CCA Members
You should be thankful. My tap water is 8.0+! Although, it might be that the alkalinity is really high and throws off the PH test. lol. I have well water and everyone tells me the water here is not great.
chris_todd
Members
I had the same thing happen to me two weeks ago - my tap is usually 7.6-7.8, but I did a WC on my Malawi tank and all the fish started freaking out, so I stopped the flow before the refill was complete and observed their behavior for a few minutes. Then I tested the tap water and it was 6.8! The tank pH had dropped to about 7.2 from about 8. After smacking my forehead, I dumped in some Seachem buffers, and after a few minutes the fish calmed down, then finished refilling (slowly).
The fish in all my other tanks loved it, though, because they're all in planted tanks with driftwood and (in some cases) CO2, so their pH is usually 6.8-7.2 anyway, and it usually gets adjusted up some when I do WCs.
Yet another reason why I should follow George's advice from another thread and mix/age water in a barrel before adding it to tanks - your tap water can change without notice.
The fish in all my other tanks loved it, though, because they're all in planted tanks with driftwood and (in some cases) CO2, so their pH is usually 6.8-7.2 anyway, and it usually gets adjusted up some when I do WCs.
Yet another reason why I should follow George's advice from another thread and mix/age water in a barrel before adding it to tanks - your tap water can change without notice.
Andrew
Members
They change the formula in Spring and Fall so you can expect some fluctuations for the next couple of weeks until the water company settles on a mix.
FishInMaryland
Members
I'm having a similar problem, although it's because the tech who came out to service our water conditioner system (we're on a well) intentionally adjusted the PH to 7.3 out of the tap, whereas before it had been 8.6+ out of the tap. I'm going to call the tech today to find out why he made such a huge adjustment, and whether he can change it back (or at least make it close to what it was previously), but I'm wondering that if he can change it back, what should I ask him to re-set it to? Would 8.0 be OK for my Africans, or should I shoot for something higher, closer to the 8.6+? I know that I also have to ask him whether the 7.3 is permanent, or if that will creep higher over time.
