Messed up- Low GH (1-2), KH(2.5), 8.5 ph? Help?

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I

iherculez

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 17, 2010
11
0
0
Bahamas
Been testing my house's tap (Boston, Ma) since moving tanks out of dorm.
I've tested the water a couple times and the readings are odd:

KH of less than of around 2 degrees german scale should translate into low pH typically right? :confused: Turns out to be well over 8 at 8.5. Also the general hardness level is just around 2.5. WTF? Could my cheap tetra test kit be out-dated?

I check out the MASSACHUSETTS WATER RESOURCES AUTHORITY web site. "MWRA’s target for distribution system pH is 9.3; the target for alkalinity is 40 mg/L."

I guess this is a dilemma for possibly every fish because of its extreme softness and low buffering capacity along with super high ph. To fix this, I've considered the following:

1. Raise KH with baking soda to around 6dKH.
2. Drop Ph with Seachem Acid buffer to convert KH to CO2.
3. Raise GH with Seachem Replenish.

Do you guys think this is a good plan for my amazon, brackish, and feeder cherry reds? or should i setup a rainwater collector (don't want to), buy RO water. or send angry letters to MWRA? :irked:
 
I don't fully understand how kH GH and pH all work, but i believe that lower kH and GH don't equate to a lower pH but one if not both are the abilty to resiste change in pH.

For most sistuations a stable pH is better then anything else. with a low kH your water might flucuate pH as the tank ages and when you change water. So adding a buffer might be a good thing, but I've never had to deal with this as i have supper hard water that doesn't even change pH when doing DIY CO2
 
So your trying to change PH? Don't even bother with it. It's better to leave it at the same then to change PH. Changing PH is worse than a PH that would be considered too low or too high.
 
to clarify: this is to adjust the water coming out of the tap during water changes, before adding it into the tank. Won't be doing drastic changes inside the tanks.

A kH of around 2 is very poorly buffered right? I'm trying to buffer it to prevent pH swings. By raising the kH, the pH is less likely to drop or rise without notice. In addition, I feel very very uncomfortable to let my angel fish sit in water with a pH of 8.5. I have driftwood inside my amazon tank to maintain the low pH.
 
i agree, trying to achieve a certain ph is no good, leads to more problems. although a low kh/gh translates into a low buffering capacity and could give you wild ph swings, potentially harming your fish.

i would use crushed coral in a bag to raise your water's hardness. dont mess with chemicals.
 
depends, but i honestly dont know if a tank has to be 'planted' in order to use this GH booster. i would think you could use it any tank. but i would try crushed coral first
 
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