How to keep Ph stable

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surfermike915

surfermike915

Piranha
MFK Member
Aug 10, 2022
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Hey all, I am just wondering how to keep my PH table in my aquariums. Obviously each tank unless it is on a system, will have a differing PH. But what do you guys recommend to keep it around neutral. Obviously it maybe be easier to just use rain water, or add driftwood, or crushed coral. I often have to spend a lot of time on water change day cleaning lids from calcium deposits which is built up around the aquarium. I hope to test rain water since its the start of the wetter season here in southern jersey. Just wondering what has worked for you guys in your experience. Thanks in advance guys
 
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surfermike915 said:
Hey all, I am just wondering how to keep my PH table in my aquariums. Obviously each tank unless it is on a system, will have a differing PH. But what do you guys recommend to keep it around neutral. Obviously it maybe be easier to just use rain water, or add driftwood, or crushed coral. I often have to spend a lot of time on water change day cleaning lids from calcium deposits which is built up around the aquarium. I hope to test rain water since its the start of the wetter season here in southern jersey. Just wondering what has worked for you guys in your experience. Thanks in advance guys
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A disciplined water change schedule of proper water percentage removed.
 
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Chasing parameters gets dangerous. Making new water is tedious. Using in-tank materials that alter pH will cause swings with every water change. Pandora's box is best left sealed. But if you must because of only a handful of things sensitive enough to need that kind of attention, mixing RO with tap or using straight RO and remineralizing is about the only way. Also keep in mind even the sensitive shrimp and fish that require certain pH don't really feel the pH as much as they they feel the KH, that's why planted tanks with CO2 don't murder the entire tank every day when the lights and co2 come on and ph drops to 6 but the kH is still 2. And keep in mind pH is logarithmic so 9 down to 8 is huge 8 down to 7 not so much but once kH hits zero massive swings can happen with little change in the acids in the water
 
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I try to do three 30%to 40% water changes per week, 1 every other day.
My pH never wavers, and nitrate never rises above 5 ppm.
IMG_0234.jpeg
Its a 180 gal, with 125 gal sump.
 
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thank you everyone. currently am keeping fish in smaller tanks for grow outs as fish garage is in construction and only have one 55 gal running while monster tanks get plumbed. I am on a weekly 30%-40% water change for every tank. i try to over filter. I need to work on feeding less. i think if i was on a more regimented water change schedule, my stingray tank would have been more balanced, less fluctuations, hence not affecting my ray as much. Water quality is still something i am still trying to learn. where i live, the water report in my city was standard. I also live in a tourist jersey shore town, and apparently the rumor is they pump alot more chlorimines and chlorine to deal with the population influx. If KH is low or high where would i want it to be and how would i get it there. also are calcium deposits something that is just there? thanks everyone
 
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If you worry about fluctuating chlorine levels these strips are available at places like Home Depot, or pool supply stores, and you can use them to check tap water chlorine levels before a water change, and adjust dechloinator accordingly, .
They also show pH, alkalinity and hardness, that gives you and idea of the actual parameters of your water.
Then doing a little research on the needs of the species you keep
Standard means different things in different places. What "standard" in N Jersey might be totally different water parameters of what's standard in Chicago.
It's all about th source, and how the water company treats it.
And what's good for a species from the soft waters of the Amazon, might not be for an African from a rift lake like Malawi
 
The test strips are a great place to start for everything else but I wouldn't rely on the chlorine test. They are made for swimming pools and the lowest level of chlorine they can even detect is .5ppm . So a zero on that strip can definitely kill your fish. Most water companies only add .2 to .5ppm unless they need to spike it. I believe 4ppm is the max they are allowed to add during a spike. A chlorine only test kit that will read how much chlorine is in your drinking water will set you back big chunk of change $150 to $250 depending on which brand
 
What's good about these test strips is they will warn you if the water provider does something drastic.
If your water provider normally uses 0.5 ppm, and that's what you're used to it may not tell you much.
But in the case of a main break, or some other anomaly, where they may need to shock the system, and use a concentration of 3 or 4 ppm. If you use these strips before you do your water change, you will be alerted.and able to dose dechlor properly.
OP you said something about not trusting the consistency of your provider, these strips are an inexpensive type of insurance, just in case.
 
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