pH testing question???S.O.S.

[jlennon]

I usually get my water from a buddy who has a well and filtration system. Well I switched it up this weekend and went to my parents who have a well and filteration on teir system too. The only problem is the pH is 6ppm. My fish are used to 7.2ppm.
I have used API pH up on a test bucket but how long does it take for the pH to actually go up?
As recommended two drops per gallon for a five gallon bucket.
I would like to do my w.c. today which is usually when it goes down but I need some in put on this.



Thommy if you read this and think I am cheating on you with the water source, it was just one night and it didn't mean anything to me. I could stop thinking of you the whole time.

 

[ShadowBass]

First, pH is a logarithmic scale, it's not in ppm. You just say 7.2, 7.3, etc., no ppm.

pH up is just sodium carbonate from what I'm seeing. At the level pH you have it may take quite a bit to raise it. (you actually could have done this with plain baking soda, as it's sodium bicarbonate).
I'd wait about 30 minutes per dose.

But really you should be looking at the kH and gH that your fish normally reside in and adjusting the water accordingly, since significantly changing those figures can result in stress for them. Adding pH up as you're doing is actually adjusting the kH levels (alkalinity) upward, which is raising the pH. But it's not doing anything for the gH levels (hardness).

How much water are you adding to the water already in the tank though? if your kH is high and you don't add much then the water you add probably won't change the pH significantly since it's well buffered. But if you keep doing water changes with water that is soft and poorly buffered, you will eventually dilute your alkalinity/buffering (kH) and hardness (gH).
If you keep doing water changes and adjusting your kH and pH with sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate, you will eventually signifcantly lower your gH levels and end up with soft water, since sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate don't effect your gH levels. Depending on your fish you may not want that.

If this is a one time thing it may not be a big deal. If you're going to constantly do water changes with this water then you're going to end up with issues since simply adjusting the kH, thus raising the pH, isn't going to adequately adjust your gH.

 

[jlennon]

Thank you Shadowbass. That is very informative. I nixed the pH up idea. I am now wondering about Acid buffer and alkaline buffer. I would like to treat the buckets with this to bring the pH up before doing a change. This is a one time deal and the tank I am most concerned with is my planted 29 gallon with my electric blue jack dempsey. I would like to do my regular 25% w.c. (7.25 gallons) or should I do a 10% (2.9gallons) with this water?
Below is the chart on the back of the acid buffer and alkaline buffer bottles:
Acid Alkaline pH
1 ----- .5---- 5
1 -----1.0---- 6
1 -----1.3---- 6.5
1 -----2.0---- 7.0
1 -----2.5---- 7.5
1 -----4.0---- 8.0

I assume this is tsp per 10 gallons.

 

[ShadowBass]

Sorry for the delay, I didn't notice you post back until now.

I'm not real sure about the chart since I'm not familiar with what product you're using.

Test the water in the tank and determine the kH and gH.
The easiest thing I can suggest is something like Kent Marine RO Right because it will adjust your gH to the appropriate level and also contains electrolytes and such. It's marketed to be able to adjust pure RO water to the correct hardness and add in other necessary components.
I'm not familiar with any other products, but maybe someone else has a suggestion. I have used RO right on pure RO water so I know personally that it will work, I can't vouch personally for anything else.

To buffer your alkalinity you can use plain baking soda. Adding baking soda will also raise the pH of the water.

 

[jlennon]

Sorry for the delay, I didn't notice you post back until now.

It's all good my man. I gave up on the ph adjustment and just went with it to see how my fish took it. The fish made out fine and adding existing water helped balance everything out. I needed to empty the buckets I had to get more water. I was already $20 in the hole for the pH balance crap and wasn't about to go another $30 on buckets. Longest w.c. ever. Messed with my tanks for est.. 10 hours that day. Thank you for your help though and i realized after the fact the chart is in weight not dry measure. Way to complicated.