questions re: ottawa water and pH

[2000a]

Hi,

I am having trouble keeping the pH in my tank stable.

Out of the tap (Orleans), the PH is about 8!, but when I added to my tank, within 24 hours, it drops to 7.5, and lower.  Even though I was using EasyTarget PH buffer 8.2... I could never keep it at 8 or higher... After loosing a couple of african cichlids, I stopped buffering the water.  Now my PH is stable around 7.2-7.5, which is not optimal for africans, but at least it's stable.

I read on a post (OVAS) that you can use Epsom salt and baking soda (1 tablespoon/10 gal of added water).

I use a python gravel cleaner to remove and refill.  Can you clarify a couple of things:
- I have 3 tanks (75g/75g/50g). On the 75 gal, I remove about 20gal/week then refill with tap water (not aged).  How much Epsom salt & baking soda should I add?  2 tablespoons of each?
- can I refill the tank directly from the tap and add the salt+baking soda to the tank (dissolved in 1 cup of water), or should I age the new water + salt + baking soda (in buckets)?
- where do you buy the Epsom salt? Grocery store?
- I have a digital ph meter. How about the gH and kH, do I need to measure them too?

Baking soda raises pH; and epsom salt raises gH and kH?


I thank you for your help.

[Soeman]

I'm in Montreal, and actually have the opposite situation. My tap pH is around 8.2, and my apistos tend to prefer much closer to 7.0. To push the pH in the opposite direction, I add HCl (muriatic acid). The problem is that most of the buffers found in tap water are very slow reacting; this means that when you push the pH up or down it will move very far, very fast. When I add the HCl, the pH drops below 6.0 (lower than standard test kits can measure), but over the following 24hrs it slowly rebounds back up to ~7.0 (I have found that 1/4 tsp of HCl in my 18L water jug is perfect). If I were to do this in my tank, it would mean that my fishes would be subjected of pH changes from ~7 (where it is now), up to wherever it lands when I add the fresh water (probably not a big change, but maybe ~7.2), bottoms out below measurable pH when I add the acid, and then back up to ~7 as it stabilizes over 24hrs.... HUGE stress on my fishes!

Baking soda is not _quite_ as reactive as HCl, but it still reacts far quicker than tap water buffers. I would strongly suggest adjusting pH in a separate container at least a day before you add it to the tank. The only problem that arises from this is that the water is thus at room temperature (though has the added bonus of gassing out some of the chlorine). I take some of the pH adjusted water, boil it, add it back to the jug, and mix it well before pouring it into the tank.

Sorry to say, but this unfortunately nullifies the biggest advantage of the python which is the ease of refilling.