nc_nutcase;3577503; said:If your tap water comes out at 6.0 and you aerate the water ovenight in an inert container... and the PH reads 6.5 the next day...
Then out of the tap the PH is actually 6.5...
The "false reading" should be ignored. In this situation, the actual PH out of the tap is 6.5, but the test misreads the PH as 6.0 due to concentrated gases that have formed in the pipes.
So when you are aerating the water overnight in an inert container, you are not allowing the PH to adjust, you are allowing the gases that interfear with your PH test to dissipate...
Well I just got home...put some tap water in a 5gal bucket at work. Took a api PH test and it was 6.0 the lowest it reads. So I took a sample of water in a washed out kentwood bottle and I stuck my PH probe in it from my african tank. So far its at 5.82 and slowly dropping...I have to leave so i'll check later. Now the bucket is at work with an airstone. I'll do the same testing tomorrow afternoon.
Now you say its from trapped gas from being in the pipes? How much water you think is in the pipes...I might run the sink for 15-20 min and then do this test over again to see. Because as of now I drain and fill using a python and that sink. Maybe after the draining sometimes I empty out the water from in the pipes and get non gas trapped water?
My ultimate plan is to get some plastic vats so I can have water ready on hand. Ill have to be doing a lot of water changes for fry tanks and ill really have 2 PH needs 7.0 and 8+