pH of 8.0 too high?

[NickK]

Does ammonia affect the pH reading in a new tank? From the tap, my water is 7.5. I started a fishless-cycle yesterday on a new tank, and added 3-5 mg/l of ammonia. The pH of this tank is 8.0 after 24 hours of aeration. The GH is 10/11 and KH is 4. Did the pH rise to 8.0 from aeration or did the ammonia skew the results? Need some H2O advice.

Thanks,

[Carol_Roberts]

Here is an easy way to check: set out a cup of water overnight on the counter - test the pH 24 hours later and see if it is 8.0

I think Ammonia does raise pH - the water experts hang out on the water board, here is the link
http://forum.simplydiscus.com//index.php?board=5
Carol :heart1:

[roger]

The cup of water trick will be a good way to prove whats causing the pH to rise.

I have seen people describe their water going up or down after aeration. Out of the tap my water is about 8.2-8.4 and the gH is abou 12-14 with kH being about 4. The fish do really well in it so if you do your water changes your fish should do just fine.


Peace,
Roger

[NickK]

OK, without the ammonia my water stayed at the 7.5 pH after 24 hours of sitting on the counter. Do I have to agitate the water to remove the CO2?

Also, I read today that Ammonia has a pH of 10, so this would explain why 5mg/l raised my pH from 7.5 to 8.0.

Nick

[roger]

Most people do have some sort of aging system setup that agitates the water to get it stable. I would think that if you put an airstone in there and the pH is stable after 24 hours then you may not have CO2 in the water to worry about.

Peace,
Roger