Ph is at 8.2 to 8.4

[gitz21]

Hello all. I live in south eastern Arizona and the water is hard and alkline. My water is from a well and has been tested and is healthy but hard as concrete. The water out of the tap is Ph 8.2 to 8.4. What can I do to lower it?

 

[deckard_wa]

You shouldn't do anything to lower it. Consistency is way more important. That being said, driftwood has been know to lower ph, and i think peat will also have an effect

 

[loach43]

Consistancy is absolutely the most important thing. I am also on a well and all of my South American fish get a 50/50 ratio of tap water and ro water when I do a waterchange. Must be a good thing because my tetras & angels are breeding like flies from it.

 

[loach43]

Oh yeah, driftwood does a pretty good job of buffering the water. Peat doesn't last nearly as long. Personally I like malaysian driftwood for that.

 

[night flight]

Gitz21
You didn't mention if this is a show tank or set up for breeding, most fish adapt to various water conditions.Using RO water mixed with your well water lowers the TDS which is great if your breeding.The above responces as to water consistancy is indeed important for happy fish.
Water changes are a lot easier to do when your tanks are the same as your well water.
Except for my breeders all my tanks get direct water changes from my well,with the temp adjusted through a mixer valve.
Oh my Ph is 8.2 and Tds 280 from my well.
You should test your PH by taking water straight from your well to get a reading them aireate 24 hrs and retest to see how stable it remains. HTH

 

[JonF]

Consistancy is absolutely the most important thing. I am also on a well and all of my South American fish get a 50/50 ratio of tap water and ro water when I do a waterchange. Must be a good thing because my tetras & angels are breeding like flies from it.

Sorry for the rookie question... but what is ro water?

 

[loach43]

reverse osmosis. Basically water that has been filtered by being pushed through a membrane at high pressure with usually carbon as part of the process. RO water can be purchased at most supermarkets. Ultimately it's best to own an ro unit in the house if you are a fish nut. This type of filter will remove enough dissolved solids to put the ph at near 7.0