Stingray death curl?

[Woefulrelic]

Great point! My pH is also 8.2. I have not tested KH but I do know my water is very hard.
My tap water actually comes out at just under 7 and in 24hrs it is 8.2

My question is if your not messing around with your water why would you have to bring up the KH ? What could cause ph fluctuations at a low KH if you are doing your do dillegents and proper husbandry?

If your KH is low you are more prone to osmotic shock. If your TDS is low and/or unchanging it is less dangerous. PH swings don't kill fish though. KH is the buffering capacity, that is to say the lower your KH the more your water has the ability to fluctuate ph. I'm not an expert though. PH and tds (the thing that kills in osmotic shock) are linked.

 

[fiire]

My tap water comes out with a very low kh (around 1) I forgot to mention I do add bicarb soda into the sump each water change to bring it up to 3-4. However I don't want to add too much as it may bring up the ph too quickly.

I'll test my ph out of my tap but the last time I did I do remember it being around 6-7

 

[Peckoltia]

Great point! My pH is also 8.2. I have not tested KH but I do know my water is very hard.
My tap water actually comes out at just under 7 and in 24hrs it is 8.2

My question is if your not messing around with your water why would you have to bring up the KH ? What could cause ph fluctuations at a low KH if you are doing your do dillegents and proper husbandry?

Waste created by all aquatic life found in a tank will have a lowering effect on pH - fish, bacteria, algae etc. Ammonia will have a slight effect on raising pH but I have found that the net outcome is always a lowering effect over time.

It is just something to consider. If it isn't broke for people, don't fix it.

I mentioned this topic, as Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate were all in order. KH was very low, and pH never checked, it is just looking at this 'potential' issue of this ray from a different angle, and is often an angle that most people neglect.

IMO/IME with keeping big messy fish, maintaining a high KH and a quality K media based filter can't be beaten for biological filtration and maintaining a consistent environment.

 

[Kittiee Katt]

IMO/IME with keeping big messy fish, maintaining a high KH and a quality K media based filter can't be beaten for biological filtration and maintaining a consistent environment.

Sorry about taking this a little off topic, but what is "K" media? Obviously its a kind of filter media, but what kind?

 

[fiire]

I just did a quick test on my pH, since my test kit goes up to 7.6 only. My tank water tests out to be 7.6 or higher, my tap water is also 7.6 or higher. I am only adding bicarb soda into the tank. If that doesn't raise it past 8.3 then I shouldn't have gotten too much of a swing, unless my pH was low before but I don't think so as I always add the same amount of bicarb soda each water change

 

[Peckoltia]

Look up K1 and K3 media. It is filter media that is fluidised, the movement of the media knocked off older or dead beneficial bacteria constantly replacing bacteria with new fresh media. Very effective biological media when used correctly. Does take a bit longer to seed than conventional media.

 

[Kittiee Katt]

Look up K1 and K3 media. It is filter media that is fluidised, the movement of the media knocked off older or dead beneficial bacteria constantly replacing bacteria with new fresh media. Very effective biological media when used correctly. Does take a bit longer to seed than conventional media.

Will do. Thanks.

 

[SHARK13]

If your KH is low you are more prone to osmotic shock. If your TDS is low and/or unchanging it is less dangerous. PH swings don't kill fish though. KH is the buffering capacity, that is to say the lower your KH the more your water has the ability to fluctuate ph. I'm not an expert though. PH and tds (the thing that kills in osmotic shock) are linked.

I would have to disagree with this on pH swings don't kill fish. If your tank swings from 8 to 5, there is a significant chance you will lose something from the stress imo. Small swings they can handle, big swings not so much... However with the proper KH you shouldn't really have big swings.

 

[Woefulrelic]

I would have to disagree with this on pH swings don't kill fish. If your tank swings from 8 to 5, there is a significant chance you will lose something from the stress imo. Small swings they can handle, big swings not so much... However with the proper KH you shouldn't really have big swings.

From what I understand ph swings can have detrimental effects for sure, but that the thing that actually kills the fish would be regulating itself in higher TDs (higher gh, ph) to a lower TDs (when ph and/or gh change) but I really don't understand the dynamic between TDs, ph and gh. I'm also hardly an expert, but I believe fish can handle the ph change within minutes for decent bumps. Obviously the fish in question changes things, as some are more difficult than others. That said, many of my answers on here are bait for people to prove me wrong and further the hobby for both myself and any other reader.

 

[SHARK13]

From what I understand ph swings can have detrimental effects for sure, but that the thing that actually kills the fish would be regulating itself in higher TDs (higher gh, ph) to a lower TDs (when ph and/or gh change) but I really don't understand the dynamic between TDs, ph and gh. I'm also hardly an expert, but I believe fish can handle the ph change within minutes for decent bumps. Obviously the fish in question changes things, as some are more difficult than others. That said, many of my answers on here are bait for people to prove me wrong and further the hobby for both myself and any other reader.

I like it... I'm no chemist either, I don't understand alot about water chemistry. What I do know is this. Going from a pH of say 6 to a pH of 9 which is basically our scale we use for aquariums... 9 is 1000 times more alkaline than 6.

I don't really fully know how TDS and hardness come into play though. I think obviously the purer the water, the less TDS, therefore the less gh... however as you add more and more TDS your pH would rise just from the minerals and such in the water at that point. So in theory as the pH rises the TDS rises, and the gh follows suit. Hopefully a water chemistry guru can elaborate..