storing water

[SmellsFishy0]

hey all.... newbie here ::)...not new to the hobby just to discus keeping, was wondering what the point of storing water is unless its just used when using an R/O unit or a DI thanks in advance for reply's-----Andy M.

[toddmc]

Hi Andy I do it to get the temp the same as in the tank and to let the ph to adjust Todd

[ronrca]

Same as Todd.

Initially, water directly from tap has a ph of 7.0 but after I aerate it for a couple of hours to dissapate C02, the ph rises to 8.2! :o Pretty big difference however do note that not everyones water is the best. Also the temp factor especially when changing around 50%+ daily! ;)

[SmellsFishy0]

my PH out of tap is already at 8.0 so storing water would send it to high right? :-\

[aggie_67]

It may or maybe not. Depends on your water, amount of disolved CO2, etc. Can test by taking tap water, measuring ph, put an air stone in for 4 hrs then measure PH again. If there is a big difference then you need to age water in drum.

Aging isn't really changing your water, it just let's it get to it's true values before going in the tank, less trama for the fish.

[Howie_W]

Hi Andy,

Usefullness of storing water all depends upon what your water source is. Many city water systems are "purrified" by adding chemicals such as chloromines. Such additives can be removed by storing/aging your water in an open container. If you have well water, this would usually not be an issue.

As others suggested, it can also simply help to bring the water up to room temp. before adding to your tank.

Howie

[Carol_Roberts]

Heating and agitating the water in a storage container makes the water the same as that already in the fish tank. Then you can do large daily water changes while avoiding temperature and pH fluctuations. Discus do not like quick pH drops.

[nirfun]

Howie,
Storing the water for 24 hours will make the chlorine gone.
But the chlormine (chlorine + amonia I think), will stay in the water.

[Howie_W]

Howie,
Storing the water for 24 hours will make the chlorine gone.
But the chlormine (chlorine + amonia I think), will stay in the water.


This is partially true. Chloramine exists as a chlorine-amonia bond. Chlorine by itself will evaporate when exposed to open air over aprox. a twenty-four hour period. In chloramine, the bond that exists between the chlorine and amonia, although persistent, will begin to breakdown over time. Although the chloramine will not breakdown completely, it will deminish. In the past, when chloramine was present in my water supply, I always aged my water for a full week before placing it into my tanks.

Howie

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce2: But why wait?? Prime & Amquel both will remove chlorine, ammonia & chloramines. Better safe, lol, Dottie ;D

[SmellsFishy0]

my water is well water and is pretty hard with PH at around 8.0 will storing make the water harder and PH go to high.......i like the ideal of storing for temp reasons but if its gunna cause PH or hardness to go upto then not sure what to do....guess ony thing to do is try-----Andy M

[Carol_Roberts]

It does not cause the hardess to go up or the pH to rise above that already in the tank.

At my house the tap water is lower in pH because it is from a well and under pressure. When I put the water in a fish tank and circulate the water with an aqua clear filter or a storage tank and circulate the water with a pump the pH rises. Carbon dioxide (acid) is off gassed into the atmosphere, the pH rises and the water becomes stable.

[nirfun]

At my house the tap water is same in pH, even if i store the water, always the same (8.0)

[engiskhan]

My tap water has a PH over 9 out of the tap and it drops down to 7.2 when aged. unfortunately, my city adds chloramines to the water, so I use an r/o unit and reconsitute the water.

[SmellsFishy0]

hey nirfun, your discus keep ok at 8.0 PH...by the way thanks for all the helpful replys all-----Andy M

[H Tran]

My pH is 8.25 fresh out of tap, and rise to 8.65 after 24hrs!!!

Is 8.65 too high for discus?

[Carol_Roberts]

I think there are a few on the board with pH that high.

[FishKeeper]

I sure hope she gets a commission from AquaClear!!!! ;D

[ronrca]

8.2ph after aged! ;)