Fey

Hi All,


I have recently decided to start a new 29g tank that has been cycling for 5 days now. I brought some water to the local fish store to confirm the readings I got at home. The guys said my conditioned well water was great except for the Ph, which came in a 8.0. He said that all of the water here is like that, and then sold me some buffer to lower it. He then told me to do a 20-30% water change with bottled water from now on. Tested the bottled water we get for S&Gs, and the Ph came out just as high!! LOL

So, I was reading previous answers, and I am just confirming that I should just let the PH be as long as the other levels are good, and let the fish acclimate. Does this sound right? I want to get a few different schooling species, so I want to make sure everything is sound before I even get a fish. I would appreciate all help please and thank you..

Val

dahly

Welcome to Fishlore, Val! I'm a beginner too, having just started 5 weeks ago with a 29 gallon tank. Along the way (and with lots o help from the Fishlore gang ) I've learned a few things. First, my tap water pH is 8.4, so I bought driftwood at the local lfs. In addition to the wood, I let my water sit a couple of days in 4, 2.5 gallon buckets. This allows the water to "gas out,” before a water change, which also helps to reduce the pH. Since I've adopted these steps over the past 3-3.5 weeks, the water is down to a pH of 7.8. Don't add fish quickly, as I did, or they will die. After you tank cycles add just 2 per 7-10 days, but only if your water chemistry is correct. Better to take it slow than to loose the fish. Good luck and enjoy!
Glenn

Fey

Glenn.,


Thanks so much. I like the driftwood idea, as it makes a great decoration in a tank. I can also get one that I can put a nice plant in. My water is not city, it's well water put through a softening system, so I do not know how much off gasing it wil do, but I would be happy to try at this point.

Butterfly

Dahly's got it right on the money
WELCOME TO FISHLORE!!!!!!!
Carol

Gunnie

Welcome to Fishlore! I'm with Dahly and Butterfly! That is really interesting that you say your ph is 8 yet you use a water softener. I could be wrong, but I thought water that is softened would have a signifcantly lower ph. Very interesting! It's great to have you with us!

Jason

What do you do when its the other way around my water has a fairly low Ph around 6.6 ish sometimes slightly lower. The tap water I do changes with has a Ph of 7.4 or something like that. Any thoughts...

Fey

Hi All,


I love it here! I have found so much info that will help me along the way. I went to a different lfs, there are some serious local fish people there! They are knowledgable in both salt and freshwater tanks. Anyway, they told me that the water conditions here are harsh, even if my well is 130' deep. Yes it gets softened, but our Ph is above 8.0 normally, and we have to cycle it through white resin to get the large amounts of tanic acid out. So, he advised me that they have all been through it, and gave me live bacteria to put in there along with some powdered limerock to bring everything down. We also put in two Tetras to help us cycle it.

My ultimate goal is to house a peacock eel, 2 spiny, or 2 true zig-zags (not the tyre tracks). So, we needed some hardy fish that would make good tank mates. Seeing as my tank is only 29g, we wanted fish that will stay smaller, but not be harmed by the eel/s. So, our 2 Tetras are still alive, our levels are all normal right now, and we're keeping our fingers crossed. If all goes well, we will add 1-2 more Tetras in a couple of weeks. I will be reading as much as possible as we move forward. Thanks again so much for all of you help. Oh, and we ordered a good sized piece of driftwood that has plants that are already established. So, lets hope that helps too :-)!!!

Val