High Ph In Tap Water

Aloha! I just set up my first freshwater tank this week end and discovered my ph level is very high. The low range test shows 7.8. This is from the tap and after adding Prime to remove any chlorine. I am a former saltwater guy so I have the high range test,too and it read 7.4. I was using ro/dI water with salt so I never had an issue with ph. I have learned that it is not wise to add chemicals to lower ph as it is always a battle to keep it consistent. So:...

Do I use ro/dI water? I was told by my LFS that it is not recommended for freshwater
I read using peat moss works. Is this safe/consistent?
My LFS ph is 7.4. Do I even need to worry?
I have driftwood in the tank- only two days into cycle but no change yet.

Thank you very much and I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

 

Aloha! I just set up my first freshwater tank this week end and discovered my ph level is very high. The low range test shows 7.8. This is from the tap and after adding Prime to remove any chlorine. I am a former saltwater guy so I have the high range test,too and it read 7.4. I was using ro/dI water with salt so I never had an issue with ph. I have learned that it is not wise to add chemicals to lower ph as it is always a battle to keep it consistent. So:...

Do I use ro/dI water? I was told by my LFS that it is not recommended for freshwater
I read using peat moss works. Is this safe/consistent?
My LFS ph is 7.4. Do I even need to worry?
I have driftwood in the tank- only two days into cycle but no change yet.

Thank you very much and I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

I believe candiedragon also has a high ph and is able to keep freshwater fish in those ph levels.

You could use ro/dI water as long as you remineralize it and add in your buffers with every water change. Or you could find fish that will work for your ph. But, since I don’t have a high ph problem, hopefully candiedragon could help with a little more insight.

 

What fish are you trying to keep? Most fish will do just fine with higher ph. Mine is around 8.2, and I haven’t had any problems.

 

My tap water is about 7.6. Yours is fine for many freshwater fish.

 

Unless you are planning on having fish that absolutely have to have a lower PH then I wouldn't be concerned with yours. A stable PH in most cases is much more important than a specific number.

 

Welcome to the forum bigislanderic

I have hard water and my tanks are at 7.8pH all the time. That is without using any methods to lower or raise it.

I haven't had any issues so far. At the moment, I keep only the usual freshwater community fish.

Most fish will adapt to the pH.

The main thing that fish do not like is sudden large swings in pH.

Here are 2 videos on pH and water hardness, and how it all relates to our hobby.

Jason from the "PrimeTimeAquatics" channel on YouTube is one of the few people I don't have to "take with a grain of salt" when listening to the info he presents. He has degrees in Biology, Chemistry and Bio-technology, plus he is a professor.

 

As others have said, that's not anything to worry about. All of my tanks are between 8 and 8.3 pH units. pH is really only a problem when it comes to certain species and certain flora. Breeding may be off at a "bad" pH. You are exactly right about using pH chemicals. It is a VERY bad idea unless you know what you are doing. Driftwood, peat, and almond leaves can naturally alter pH as does shells and crushed coral. Quite a bit of your saltwater knowledge will carry over to freshwater with regards to chemistry control. Freshwater is however, much more forgiving and you don't have to break out the salineometer lol.

 

Aloha! Yeah we get an average 8.0 pH here, so you should be okay. A stable pH is the best pH in most cases, with the exception of very demanding species like Discus, otherwise RO/DI and remineralizing would be better for the fish. It is an option, you can do RO/DI but it's most likely unnecessary. If you decide to not use the RO water route, you may want to pick up a water conditioner if you don't have one already to help treat any metals and chlorine, chloramine in your tap.

Certain kinds of driftwood, almond leaves, and peat could possibly lower pH but not by much considering the volume of water. Which is fine, it should be safe if you are using them for the benefits of tannins or just going for a certain look.

 

WOW! You folks are awesome! Thank you all for the great information. I feel much better now! I tend to over-analyze things like this. Sometimes it's a good thing but not always. Thanks for welcoming me to the 'lore!

 

Haha yeah I get like that too sometimes. Feel free to ask any kind questions, everyone is always helpful and friendly here. Thankful for Mike and his team.