Fluctuating pH in Springdale

Other miscellaneous aquarium-keeping topics, such as water chemistry, go here.
Ramswin
Posts: 108
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:34 am
Location:
Contact:

Fluctuating pH in Springdale

Post by Ramswin »

Hi all! I'm in the process of getting back into the aquarium hobby and I have a 38 gallon tank that I'll be setting up soon. I've been monitoring the paramaters of tap water here in Springdale. The pH has been sitting at about 8.0 according to my API test kit for the past two weeks. When I tested the pH today, I noticed that the pH was AT LEAST 8.2. This has me rather concerned. What caused this change? Is this normal for our area? I know that my tap water comes from Beaver Lake and I was wondering if this recent winter weather may be related to this change in pH? Is it normal for Beaver Lake tap water to have fluctuations in pH like this? I've lightly considered using re-mineralised Reverse Osmosis water while planning this setup, but I figured that if my tap water parameters were stable that I would avoid this route. However, this fluctuation has me extremely concerned. Does Beaver Lake tap water have fluctuations like this on a regular basis? If there is anyone here that has experience with Beaver lake tap water? If so, please tell me what you do to keep the pH below 8.0? I plan on having a community tank, however I have not settled on what I will stock it with. PLEASE give me your input on Beaver Lake tap water and your experience with it :) Thank you so much in advance!
Ramswin
Posts: 108
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:34 am
Location:
Contact:

Re: Fluctuating pH in Springdale

Post by Ramswin »

Anybody? I'd really appreciate some input on this! :)
dennysfishroom
Posts: 3142
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 8:47 am
Location: Garfield, Arkansas
Contact:

Re: Fluctuating pH in Springdale

Post by dennysfishroom »

Since I'm on a well, I can't comment on the water quality in Springdale. I will say that many of the hobbyists in this area don't really pay that much attention to pH. Unless I would be trying to spawn killifish or tetras, all of my fish do fine in 8.4 pH water or thereabouts. I probably wouldn't try to take them from 8.4 to 6.4, but I don't think that's the amount of variation you're talking about. Just my opinion. Denny
If it was easy, anyone could do it!
Ramswin
Posts: 108
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2009 8:34 am
Location:
Contact:

Re: Fluctuating pH in Springdale

Post by Ramswin »

Thanks for your input Denny! As we all know stability is important, and that is what had me concerned at first. The reading that I were taking gave me 8.3 right out of the faucet. I decided to let the water sit in a jug over night and then take a pH reading. This morning the water in the jug tested out to the regular 8.0 that I've been seeing!
User avatar
sskruzr
NWAAS Treasurer
Posts: 2457
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2007 8:28 pm
Location: Bella Vista AR
Contact:

Re: Fluctuating pH in Springdale

Post by sskruzr »

I live in bella vista and it comes out 7.2. Its still beaver lake water.
Corey Mohrhauser
NWAAS Treasurer, Auction Chair
One planet, one chance, DO NOT SCREW IT UP
snakeskinner
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:21 pm
Location:
Contact:

Re: Fluctuating pH in Springdale

Post by snakeskinner »

8.0-8.2 isn't a big change. what are you using to test it? unless you have an ultra-high dollar meter, your test kit or tool probably has an accuracy variation greater than .2 Also, testing right out of the faucet is inaccurate because of all the dissolved gases in the water so letting it sit for 24 hours and then testing is probably the best method. Municipal water systems are typically fairly stable and as you already mentioned, that's the key so don't try to alter the water. changing from a low PH/hardness to a high PH/hardness is fairly simple by adding calcium, limestone, crushed coral, etc. Going the other way is a lot trickier. there are a lot of chemicals on the market but they all are unreliable and will cause a drastic PH swing eventually. A lot of people get hung up on trying to replicate "wild conditions" which is almost always a waste of time. First of all, nearly all of the fish we can even get ahold of have never seen "wild conditions" and were raised either on a fish farm in Florida or Asia or in another hobbyist's tank which nearly all advanced breeders I know leave their tapwater the way it is. Second of all, many fish are living in the wild because they have adapted to live IN SPITE of their conditions rather than thriving BECAUSE of their conditions. A friend of mine made a great statement in this arguement. The Ocean contains mercury so do you add mercury to your reef tank? I am keeping Alcolapia alcalicus which come from Lake Natron in Africa. Lake Natron can have PH levels above 12.0 and water temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. There have been people trying to replicate these conditions to keep these fish in an aquarium which is ridiculous. I am successfully raising and breeding mine in a PH of around 7.5 with water temperatures about 80 degrees. anyway, sorry for the long answer but in short, I wouldn't worry about it unless you're doing some sort of special breeding like Denny said. Kyle
Okarche, OK
User avatar
mewickham
NWAAS President
Posts: 2680
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:50 am
Location: Rogers, Arkansas
Contact:

Re: Fluctuating pH in Springdale

Post by mewickham »

As Kyle said, measuring pH out of the faucet is inaccurate. Dissolved gases, or lack thereof, can affect pH. But you don't need to let the water sit 24 hours to test. Merely shake a small sample for about 30 seconds or so to aerate it. This will drive out excess dissolved gases and let in those that are missing. You should then be able to take a reasonably accurate measurement.

I think we are all using Beaver Lake water around here. The pH will, no doubt, fluctuate a bit throughout the year, especially after spring thaws and steady rains. Even if your pH is above 8.0, which is considered high for most fish, the real test is to look at the water in your aquarium-- because biological activity can have a big effect on pH, and it tends to make it drop. So partial water changes with high-pH water may even help to keep your aquarium pH from falling below where it should be.
Mike Wickham
http://mikewickham.com
NWAAS Webmaster, Publicity Chair
snakeskinner
Posts: 286
Joined: Wed Jun 09, 2010 12:21 pm
Location:
Contact:

Re: Fluctuating pH in Springdale

Post by snakeskinner »

wasn't aware about the shaking Mike. I wonder if that works for all conditions. I remember one of our clubmembers was having issues with massive fish die-offs and knew his PH tested out of the tap and after the issues were massively different. One of our other members was a lab tech that had access to tons of high-tech equipment and had him rush over some fresh tapwater. I wish I remembered the particulars (and neither member are currently active in our club) but I think his PH would swing like over 4.0 over a 24 hour span which is why his fish were dying. Kyle
Okarche, OK
User avatar
mewickham
NWAAS President
Posts: 2680
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2009 12:50 am
Location: Rogers, Arkansas
Contact:

Re: Fluctuating pH in Springdale

Post by mewickham »

Likewise, it's a bad idea to fill an aquarium directly from the tap, i.e. with a hose snaked into the tank. It's much better to spray the water into a bucket first, giving it a good churn, to work out excess gases (such as C02), and work in sufficient oxygen. After water changes, hobbyists often note bubbles sticking on the glass, decorations, and even the sides of the fish. This is the result of gases which are oversaturated from being under pressure in the tap. Once released from the tap, and the pressure drops, the water can no longer hold so much gas and the excess precipitates out of solution, forming the bubbles. These supersaturated gases are dangerous to fish because, while they are still dissolved, they can pass across the gill membrane to the inside of the fish. When the gases precipitate out there, they can cause internal injuries or death-- like when divers surface too quickly and get "the bends."

If you have to fill an aquarium with a hose, hold your finger over the end to make it spray hard onto your hand before it falls into the tank. This can help churn out some of the excess gas.
Mike Wickham
http://mikewickham.com
NWAAS Webmaster, Publicity Chair
Post Reply