# Tap Water and PH



## JWA (Feb 17, 2010)

Tap water is from a deep well (350 feet) No additives like water softener etc. Straight from well to glass.
I found that if I test water right out of my household tap I get a PH of 6.8 But if I leave the same glass of water on the counter overnight it tests out at 7.8 PH
GH and KH are 4 drops which I guess is pretty near where I want them
Any thoughts on why the PH goes up?
Also is 7.8 PH something I can work with for most tropical fish in a Low tech tank?
Thanks


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## comet (Jun 10, 2006)

I use well water also and the ph goes up after aerating. I found this info on it:



> One potential problem with using well water is that it frequently contains high concentrations of dissolved gases (which may be dangerous to fish). For example, well water is frequently supersaturated with CO2, which lowers the water's pH. Once the CO2 escapes, the pH will increase. Fish shouldn't be subjected to this temporary pH fluctuation. For safety, aerate well water thoroughly for several hours before adding it to your tank.


The link to this statement:
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-tapwater.html

I usually only have to aerate a 7 gallon tub of water for an hour using one large airstone to bring it up to the maximum Ph level it will go, but I normally end up leaving it for the next days water change anyway.


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## JWA (Feb 17, 2010)

comet said:


> I use well water also and the ph goes up after aerating. I found this info on it:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks
Since this is a rather large (for me) tank at 60 gallons I was hoping to use a Python to do water changes thereby eliminating all those buckets and hoses and such


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## Crispino L Ramos (Mar 29, 2008)

*I live in Phoenix AZ and our city water pH is near 8 - I acclimate the fish I buy from the LFS before putting it in the tank. Most tropical fish seem to adapt to a wide range of pH as long as they are gradually acclimated.*


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## JWA (Feb 17, 2010)

Crispino Ramos said:


> *I live in Phoenix AZ and our city water pH is near 8 - I acclimate the fish I buy from the LFS before putting it in the tank. Most tropical fish seem to adapt to a wide range of pH as long as they are gradually acclimated.*


Yes but my problem is that I get a change in PH after sitting 24 hrs.This makes water changes that much more of a pain.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

CO2 related pH swings are irrelevant. That is likely what is causing yours so there is little concern.


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## JWA (Feb 17, 2010)

over_stocked said:


> CO2 related pH swings are irrelevant. That is likely what is causing yours so there is little concern.


Thanks I like that better
But I am somewhat confused. I have been reading here that swings in PH are damaging to fish. Why is a swing of PH okay when the cause is CO2 in the tap water?


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

There are many things that can cause pH swings, and it's usually the underlying causes of pH swings that are actually what may or may not be dangerous to fish. In non-planted tanks, pH swings are commonly caused by organic buildups or unbuffered, neglected tanks that then experience a big water change. Both of those conditions can be dangerous for fish.

It's fluctuations in the dissolved solid content of water that have the most dramatic impact on fish. pH typically fluctuates with both solid and gas content- but pH fluctuations from dissolved CO2 content has little to no impact on fish, as long as the CO2 levels don't become toxic (which again, is a problem with CO2 rather than directly from the pH swing).


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