what is the normal ph of Ottawa water in the Nepean area.

[CC-Slider]

Here is some background I have decided to get back into the hobby after 20 years being away
Just resealed my original 29g (bought it from the old Bells Corners location of Al's)
it is a dirted tank with pool sand substrate will be used as my Quarantine tank for my new 180g and holding tank for plants. It has had 6 water changes as recommended for dirted tanks.
Water is mostly clear some yellowing from the tannin's (small wood pieces in the organic soil)
Added plants after the 6th water change and a week from the first.

Now the question is when I tested the ph a day after it came out to 7.6 - 7.8. is this normal for the Ottawa Area as I was hoping to be around 7

[Mike L]

Was that test done right out of the tap or with water that was standing for a while as that is the way I test mine

[exv152]

PH may also vary slightly due to whatever's in your filter media and/or substrate. A lot of things can buffer or reduce your water hardness. I usually get around 6.8 to 7.4 ph from my city water, prior to adding it to the tank. After adding it to my tank it goes down to about 6.2 due to my substrate.

[CC-Slider]

I did a test right out of the tap and it was 8+. The test in my tank was 24 hrs after doing a 90% water change. I do have a lot of tannin's leaching into the water from the organic soil mix, So I will try another in 48 hrs to see if they bring it down.

[exv152]

The PH will always be higher straight out of the tap, if you let it sit for awhile it will go down after a few hours(24-48 hrs). That's due to degassing. Either way those PH readings are within normal city water parameters. Most hobbyists don't ever measure their PH unless they're supplementing co2 for plant growth.

[CC-Slider]

Okay it has been 48 hours later and ph is still around 7.5. I have been doing a lot of research aka watching youtube and reading. Now I realize book knowledge and practical knowledge can vary greatly. So my concern is I want to keep a community tank in my 180g most of the fish I want can stand a ph between 6.5 and 7.5 but a few where the range is between 6 and 6.5 like the Black Kuhli Loach or Harlequin Rasbora as per research.

Is this a big concern if my ph stays around 7.5, as I did keep Kuhli Loach and guppies in the same tank years ago along with others here in Nepean. All this before I really knew anything not that I know anything now. Your feed back would be appreciated.

[charlie]

Okay it has been 48 hours later and ph is still around 7.5. I have been doing a lot of research aka watching youtube and reading. Now I realize book knowledge and practical knowledge can vary greatly. So my concern is I want to keep a community tank in my 180g most of the fish I want can stand a ph between 6.5 and 7.5 but a few where the range is between 6 and 6.5 like the Black Kuhli Loach or Harlequin Rasbora as per research.

Is this a big concern if my ph stays around 7.5, as I did keep Kuhli Loach and guppies in the same tank years ago along with others here in Nepean. All this before I really knew anything not that I know anything now. Your feed back would be appreciated.

One would think as the soil ages it will start to buffer the PH down( could be wrong)
On the other hand it can be possible the sand you have is doing the opposite and buffering it up?
A few things you can do to determine what is happening through the process of elimination.
Put some tap water in a vessel- check PH & record same- add an air stone and recheck PH 12-24 hrs later , record same.
Put some of the sand in a vessel and add tap water, record PH , recheck PH 12 hrs later and record PH
This should help in trouble shooting your PH rise.
Personally i don`t think the higher PH will affect the Kulhi loaches etc. fish adapt easier than we think.
Just a thought.

[Al]

I agree that the pH for the fish shouldn't be a problem given what you have described. With rare exception, most fish store fish are captive bred with many generations from the original wild caught fish and in most instances, have been kept in a variety of water conditions. My experience has been that consistency is more important than an exact number, with some give and take. Unless you have extremely sensitive species or are dealing with wild caught that you are trying to breed, trying to replicate biotope water parameters can be more trouble than its worth. If you have some south americans that like softer and more acidic water, they can for the most part adapt to water on the medium hardness side and neutral to slightly alkaline (consistent) for maintenance however that harder water would probably cause an issue for eggs developing if you were breeding.