Aging water for Trimac?
- Thread starter FishKing5
- Start date
Are you ageing the water for the Discus due to hard water , high ph? If so the Trimac should be fine with water Dechlorinated from the tap.
Just wondering what the point is, in aging water?
Is it to allow chlorine to dissipate?
I never have aged water for any of my cichlids, including trimacs.
My tap water company in the US, used chloramine asa disinfectant, which does not dissipate, even over weeks, so I used a dechlorinater like sodium thiosulfate.
Is it to allow chlorine to dissipate?
I never have aged water for any of my cichlids, including trimacs.
My tap water company in the US, used chloramine asa disinfectant, which does not dissipate, even over weeks, so I used a dechlorinater like sodium thiosulfate.
I'd have similar questions as to your reasons for aging water. I do know that some people 'age' their water to stabilize pH. Some tap water will come out at a lower pH, which can then rise. It can happen if there's dissolved CO2 which can gas off once the water's no longer under pressure. My well water does that to some degree. But I've never found it necessary to age water, myself, even when I (quite successfully) kept discus. (When I was on chlorinated water I treated it for chlorine/chloramine).
For the most part, I've kept tanks in my current location in the mid--upper 7s pH. My well water typically comes out about 6.4-6.6 and I add a bit of baking soda (and to some tanks a bit of Epsom salt). I do have a tank I'm currently keeping about 7.2 or so, but I simply account for a bit of expected pH rise when I do water changes. Fish are more tolerant of pH changes than some hobby lore would lead you to believe-- within reason, of course. The problem, when there is one, is often more to do with how ammonia (if present) changes with changes in pH than the pH change itself (again, within reason, as shown below). Or, with low pH, the effect of low pH on nitrifying bacteria.
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb5/water_issues/basin_plans/ph_turbidity/ph_turbidity_04phreq.pdf
For the most part, I've kept tanks in my current location in the mid--upper 7s pH. My well water typically comes out about 6.4-6.6 and I add a bit of baking soda (and to some tanks a bit of Epsom salt). I do have a tank I'm currently keeping about 7.2 or so, but I simply account for a bit of expected pH rise when I do water changes. Fish are more tolerant of pH changes than some hobby lore would lead you to believe-- within reason, of course. The problem, when there is one, is often more to do with how ammonia (if present) changes with changes in pH than the pH change itself (again, within reason, as shown below). Or, with low pH, the effect of low pH on nitrifying bacteria.
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/rwqcb5/water_issues/basin_plans/ph_turbidity/ph_turbidity_04phreq.pdf
I have well water. It’s ph around 7.6 or so. Not sure how much it changes or fluctuates after aging but have learned from many discus keepers to age your water in the winter since there’s more built up gases in the water from the cold ground. So I do it more for a piece of mind I suppose. I put it in a 55 gallon drum anyways to put a heater in there to get it to the same temp as my aquarium water is so it’s more precise. There’s definitely micro bubbles that come straight from my well right now so really don’t want to expose my discus to that. I figured the Trimac would be fine with it though. I’ll just give him water changes right from the tap without aging it. Did it last night and he seems plenty happy to me. Definitely much less of a headache to not have to age his water as well haha
Well water here and almost exact same pH. Ours comes out neutral and then rises after it sits. I do all my water changes straight from the tap. No problems. Been doing it for years.
In the winter months here the water mains carry an excessive amount of co2, so much that when doing large water changes it can strip the slime coat off of certain species such as discus. When II kept H .temporalis it would peel the slime coat off in big sheets like snot. I gave away a nice mated pair years ago for that reason. It was like dipping a fish in coca cola.
Splash the water from above when filling, that will force the CO2 out of the water, if that's the reason for aging the water. A ph swing due to CO2 levels has no effect on the tank inhabitants. CO2 is a weak acid which doesn't alter the alkalinity of the water., the latter being the actual reason for "pH shocks".
I don't see any other reason why one would age their water, providing one uses dechlorinator.
Aged water starts going through nitrification within days, especially if the containers are not scrubbed often. By the time water change day comes, it could have ammonia and nitrite reading in it, not to mention that still water will have very low dissolved oxygen levels. I'd be really weary using aged water. I have not done that since I was a kid and didn't own dechlorinator so I had to age because of the chlorine. I don't know why aging water is viewed as a good thing? Bad habits die hard?
I don't see any other reason why one would age their water, providing one uses dechlorinator.
Aged water starts going through nitrification within days, especially if the containers are not scrubbed often. By the time water change day comes, it could have ammonia and nitrite reading in it, not to mention that still water will have very low dissolved oxygen levels. I'd be really weary using aged water. I have not done that since I was a kid and didn't own dechlorinator so I had to age because of the chlorine. I don't know why aging water is viewed as a good thing? Bad habits die hard?
Last edited:
Splashing water doesn't do zip in winter months here. It can reach -50 here in winter months, and excessive gas has always been present. Not an issue for the vast majority of species, such as the ones the op is keeping.
