TITAN AQUATICS 374g (externail) build 96"x30"x30"

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Your wood is bringing down your pH for sure. I wouldn't worry about the water changes either as the wood will continue to bring the pH down. I doubt that your gravel is altering your pH as its probably inert.

PS - What I would do to have 8.2 out of the tap!
 
Well this afternoon it says 8.0. So idk...I need to pick up some calibration fluid and check the probe.

And yes it was great when I had my male hap peacock 240. It's going to switch up...my sa ca are coming home and ill do some Africans at my office. Only thing is the office is well water and starts at 5.5ph untill I air it over night then it gets to 7.5. I think it also has 0 hardness.
 
What I'd like to do is get it mid 7ish for the intro of the fish then let it get up to tap specs over time so I can just add water and not have to make it.
 
So the PH is now up to 8.20. I tested my pond water thinking maybe the PH in it is low and the wood soaked up some the day or so it soaked...it's 8.2someing. Tap inside is 8.4...garden hose I used to fill is like 8.5. Some of the values may not be exact because I'm just sticking the probe in a little water for a min...it may drop or raise more but not by so much that I'd get the 7.6 I saw the other day. I wish I had the probe in from day one but I didn't. The morning I saw 7.6 I tried a cup of tap and it was 8.2something so I'm at a loss. Maybe the wood had been in the tank long enought to drop it now its getting overcome by the hardness? Or the substrate had it low at first (something residual on it) and now the PH/hardness is taking over? I haven't tested the hardness but I'd guess its high and that's why the PH is reluctant to stay low.

Maybe I can drop it to mid 7 again and add the fish and then over a week it would creep back up to tap standards and the fish will adapt.
 
Regardless of what caused your PH to drop, your water's alkalinity is most likely pretty high. Water with high alkalinity is very resistant to any kind of drop in PH and will almost certainly bounce back to it's original (which is usually higher) PH readings. What PH are your fish coming from, as constantly trying to keep your tap water in the mid 7's is going to be a headache. I would try to slowly acclimate the fish and leave the tap water as is. I feel stable water chemistry is much better than the "correct" chemistry...
 
I agree and that is my current thinking is to try to get them adjusted to my tapwater becasue I dont want to try to keep it at something with addatives or have to use a rodi. The fish currently are in well water...so 5.5 out the tap...aired over night with a airstone then its 7.6 but I believe NO hardness. I feel good that all can take my tap...only one I worry about is my Hoplarchus psittacus (true parrot). He is wild and I gather they like real soft acidic water...he has been doing just fine in the current water tho. My ornatum is wild but i think he should be fine....every thing else is F1 or beyond.

So what would be the best route to adjust them...should I try to get the tank to 7.6 and let it slowly rise over a few days back to the mid 8 and put the fish in when its low. OR bring them home in there own 5gal bucket and over the cource of an hour or so add some tank water (regular mid 8 ph) to the bucket...is that gradual enough?
 
I've never really had to worry about acclimating fish like that before so my experience is limited...

If you get your PH into the mid 7's, how long does it take for it to bounce back up into the 8's? I feel like it could bounce back pretty quickly, like over night... Depending on how fast it bounces back, you may be better off just using a drip system in a 5gal bucket over the course of a couple hours.
 
cjdesmit said:
I've never really had to worry about acclimating fish like that before so my experience is limited...

If you get your PH into the mid 7's, how long does it take for it to bounce back up into the 8's? I feel like it could bounce back pretty quickly, like over night... Depending on how fast it bounces back, you may be better off just using a drip system in a 5gal bucket over the course of a couple hours.
Click to expand...

No idea...not sure why it was lower in the first place or how long it was low. Tank was setup sunday and I didnt check PH till yesterday. I think I am just going to try to drip them in buckets.
 
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