Water question

[Fish Monster]

I recently read about aging water I had no idea that the ph would change just siting around. I tested the ph rite from my tap and it reads 7.0 which is netrual but the ph from my discus water is 6.5ph I figured this was to large a swing for them if I were to do a large water change like 40 - 50% which is what I am accustomed to doing everyother day and on the off days I do about 20% which is what I do in order to clean up after the left overs and what not. So I do about 40% every other day and 20% on the other days I have a 55 gallon with 5 juvis in there. I just started to age the water last night for the first time as I am only 6 weeks into this discus keeping thing my fish all seem to be doing great I even got them eating out of my hand o finally I was worried about that but all of them had recently started to do that. Well any way I guess my question is two do I need to age the water if only doing a 20% water change about 12 gallons in other words would that .5 really throw off the ph in a 55 gallon tank?
and I am pretty sure but want to double check is it needed to age my water when doing the larger 40% water changes about 22 gallons?
I fugured more than likely yes definitely for the larger change as .5 is probably to great a swing for the discus so I am aging some rite now with 20 gallons dechlorinator, a heater, and a farily strong old pond pump my dad has not used in a very long time. I have a 50 watt heater in it for the 20 gallons but I do no know if that's going to be strong enough to get the temp up to 85f which is what my tank is at rite now. I wonder if I added just like a half a gallon of hot water and got the temp up that way if that would be ok? I know the half gallon would not be aged but it only be a half a gallon, do you think the little 50 wat heater will be able to get 20 gallons to temp? I plan on gettinga 100watt after work to day. Thank you for any help you can offer.

So I am trying t put this in easier terms to understand I kind of went on there sorry about that.

Trying to make it easer to understand my question? I tend to ramble, lol

Ok so my tank water after about a day is 6.5ph and my tap is a real steady 7.0ph and I usally do 20% one day and then about 40% the next day and so on do I need to age the water oir not? I just started to age the water last night as a matter of fact I have had the discus now for 6 weeks ande verythings been ok but I do not know if I was doing any long term harm to them so I started aging the water. I thought with the many small water changes like 20% then 40% it would not be enoguh to reall make a huge impact on the tanks ph just to go ahead as I have been with out aging any thoguhts?

 

[Slug]

How are the fish looking after a water change? Do they seem bothered by what you do currently? If you have the space to age water, I'd definitely recommend it. Can save headaches. If you don't have space there's not much you can do other then getting an RO filter (still have to store water with this unless doing small WCs) or filtering the water with something like peat/crushed coral depending on which way you need to go.

Whats your pH of the aged water? Fill a container/bucket and test it, then add an airstone and test it again after 12hrs.

Generally speaking you should be fine with that tap water. That's not that big of a swing as long as you don't do a huge water change constantly. A move up in pH is MUCH easier on the fish then a drop in pH. That's the whole thing behind drip acclimating fish (Discus at least). Drip acclimating is mainly used when the pH of the tank water is lower then what the fish is used to, otherwise you can just drop them in the tank (drop and plop). (Assuming the pH isn't a HUGE difference.)

 

[Fish Monster]

Well after the test I found my water to be 7.0ph from the tap after airating and sitting 24hr it is 6.5ph which is what the tank water is 6.5ph

The fish seem fine they are growing there happy and eat from my hand rite after a water change seems to have no effect on them at all. I only do about a daily 20% whis is like 10 - 12 gallons on my 55 on the weekends I do a 40% about 20 gallons and wipe everything down and what not and the seem fine with it been doing it this way for about 7 weeks now and the fish are actually getting bigger thank God so what do you think??

 

[Fish Monster]

I am thinking a .5 diference in ph when only talking 20% and 40% really can not or shuld not effect the ph that much in fact when I test the water after the water chnage the test still indicates a 6.5ph I think because the change is so small the color on the test vial really does not see a diference I think I would have to use an even more precise way to measure the ph and I bet the ph diference is prob from .2 - .3 swing and that's not much at all is it?

So at the most Iam raising the ph like .3 or .3 with a 20% 40% water change I can't see that being to big a deal and I keep a real close eye on them real close.

 

[Aquarist]

Good morning.

I agree with Slug on the fact that it's much easier on your fish to raise the pH than to lower it, which could be fatal if done too quickly. Always add your water slowly to be on the safe side.

I've never had any issues by increasing my pH but lowering it is another story.

I also age my water (I don't have Discus) as I feel it just better for the fish over all and too you have a more accurate pH reading. My pH is so high it's off the charts. By letting it age 5 to 10 days (also heated and filtered) makes life a bit more simple for me and my fish.

Ken

 

[Fish Monster]

Thanks for the info, yeh if anything my ph would be raised a little bit after a WC but it must not raise it enough for me to notice a color change on my liquid test kit API ph test kit it still shows a ph in the tank of 6.5 but I know the tap is 7.0ph so I must be raising it a little just not enough to show up?
Having said that if going up is not as bad then going up by like .2 or .3 to the point my test kit can not tell then it must not be bad. I guess my fish would let me know in a way if I was doing them harm they do not see top be bothered at all and are doong very well in fact they are growing and eating from my hand now so I gues they are happy campers.

 

[Aquarist]

Thanks for the info, yeh if anything my ph would be raised a little bit after a WC but it must not raise it enough for me to notice a color change on my liquid test kit API ph test kit it still shows a ph in the tank of 6.5 but I know the tap is 7.0ph so I must be raising it a little just not enough to show up?

Correct. That's been my experience and understanding too. I always like to test 24 hours after my water changes too and compare the difference if any between the two. Depending on how much of the water with the higher pH is added will determine how much of a change there will be.

Ken

 

[Fish Monster]

Thank you and I did do this I test the water before the WC and it read 6.5ph straight out of the tap 7.0 test imediately after the WC still reads a 6.5ph wait 24 or so hours test the tank again and it still reads 6.5ph so I guess I am good to go thank you
Oh I have another thread started about an idea I had for water changes if you could give this a look I would be thankful as well.