NYC tap water ph

[devins23]

Hi, I just want to check if other people in NYC have low ph level (6.8)? I haven't been testing my ph as often as I should but today I tested my tap water before putting prime and salt and noticed that it's very low. The last time I tested I could have sworn it was more than 7.0. Am I the only one getting this result?

Can anyone recomend please the best buffer to use to raise my ph level aside from baking soda (unless it's my best option)?

Thank you!

[jinyu_fan]

Yup, NYC has nice soft water. I have a mesh bag filled with crush coral in my HOB filter and that keeps the pH at around 7.4 and my goldies are fine with that. When I need to have a quarantine tank set up and/or doing major water changes, I would add either baking soda or Buff-It-Up from GoldfishConnection to the water.

[cowiche ponder]

take a glass or bucket of tap water and aerate it for 24hours and then check the ph. Can make a difference in the reading as some things will gas off that changes the ph of the water

[demdamdemekins]

Yup, high 6s with little in ways of readable gh or kh. Apparently some parts of Brooklyn have harder water, but I'm not sure exactly why. Our water is perfect for apistos, discus, many killies, and the caridina shrimp, but not quite ideal for goldies.

[Torch]

I'm in Manhattan and my tap water PH is about 7. I used to use to add Buff-It,but I give up on it after my PH level change too much. My Ranchus doing fine at this tap water PH. Just have to get them use to it, but must monitor and do water changes if PH starts to go under.

Isn't Goldfish suppose to handle PH from 6.5 to 8.4? Key is stabliity right/

[bekko]

Count your blessings. It is much easier to add minerals to soft water than to remove minerals from hard water. Of course, the danger is that the lack of buffering capacity could lead to a dramatic pH crash. Jinyu's approach using coral is probably the best because it buffers the water slowly, yet it dissolved more quickly if the pH starts to drop. So, the pH will remain rock steady.

We have two water sources. The fish always look a little better when using the water source with the lower KH (40 versus 140 ppm).

-steve

[devins23]

Thank you guys for your comments. And yes stability is more important and it's easier to buff it up. My main concern is that when I get new ranchus that came from areas with 7 point something pH they get affected when I place them in a quarantine tank with a 6.8 pH. Is that a big of a change? I got a new black Ranchu last week although he is eating and seems fine physically he would just remain at the bottom of the aquarium most of the time. I'm assuming of course that nothing else is wrong with the fish. What are some of the symptoms of big pH change in water?
Thanks.

[Sabine]

Going from a high pH to a low pH is hard on the fish.
I have very low KH and a slightly acidic pH from the tap (in fact, the KH is usually 0). If I don't add soda and Buff it up, I get a pH crash within 3 weeks of cycling a tank. Any small amount of nitrate will be too much and cause a crash.
So I always raise the pH to 7.6, and the KH to 3-4 after a water change. This makes it stable until the next water change is due. It is important to raise the KH and pH that much in order to prevent pH swings that you get when you raise just a little!
Fish suffering from pH crash will get slime covered and hang out near the surface.
http://www.koivet.com/koivet/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73:carbonate-exhaustion-ph-crash&catid=28:water-quality&Itemid=40

[devins23]

Thank you guys for the inputs. I apreciate it.

I'm planning on adding corals just because it raises the pH slowly so that it won't shock the fishes.

Is it better to raise the pH to 7.4 to 7.6? I'm planning on raising it only to 7.0 or 7.2 so that in case pH goes down it won't be a big swing.

Also with corals - how long does it keep the pH level up and steady? Does it hold the pH steady indefinitely (as long as I add water with same pH level during water changes)?

Does algae affect pH? My quarantine tank is by the window but for some weird reason I keep getting a 6.0 ph!!! I only add prime and salt to the water with morning and night 30% water change using aged water that is 6.8 ph. I don't know why my ph keeps going down to 6.0 even with a lot of water change. The tank doesn't have much algae, but the water is slightly (just slightly) greenish.

[devins23]

I added some crushed corals in a 5x7" mesh pouch filled to capacity in a 20 gallon quarantine tank and I'm shocked that my pH went from a 6-something to a 7.6 overnight! I wasn't expecting for it to go that high and that quickly! I thought it was a slow increase!

Luckily my fish seems to be doing OK, so far.

[devins23]

Just want to give an update - my fishes are doing so much better with a 7.something pH. One of my japanese Ranchu got amonia burn before but healed significantly in mid 7 pH, all the black burn marks have dissapeared. Also, my new black Ranchu is more active than ever before - when I got him he was just laying at the bottom. Thank you all for your help! I appreciate it very much!

[jinyu_fan]

Glad your fish are doing well. Your dedication to their care makes all the difference.

[RanchuLord]

I lived in Flushing NY for 30 years. Moved out in 2000. The water there my entire life was 7 neutral, I don't know if it has changed. My father was a huge angelfish breeder for years so we tested the water regularly.

[Torch]

RanchuLord, did you had to buffer your water to higher than 7.0, when keeping your ranchus in NYC (Queens)?

[devins23]

I think it's important to buff up the water for the beneficial bacteria to thrive if u use a lot of salt in the aquarium. I keep the salt level in mine at 1tablespoon per gallon and my ph seems to drop to the low 6 and when that happens my filter's bacteria dies and then my amonia goes up. It's so frustrating when these happen. I don't know if other people have had similar experiences... But this kind of incident happened to me three times in three different aquariums, now I buff everything and even with a tablespoon per gallon salinity level I haven't had any amonia problems.

[sweetshannon]

I think it's important to buff up the water for the beneficial bacteria to thrive if u use a lot of salt in the aquarium. I keep the salt level in mine at 1tablespoon per gallon and my ph seems to drop to the low 6 and when that happens my filter's bacteria dies and then my amonia goes up. It's so frustrating when these happen. I don't know if other people have had similar experiences... But this kind of incident happened to me three times in three different aquariums, now I buff everything and even with a tablespoon per gallon salinity level I haven't had any amonia problems.

If you always salt, won't it be less effective for disease treatment? I have read that many don't salt for this reason until a disease is present.