Water change question

[MSD]

My tank water PH is around 6.0 to 6.4. I do my 30% water change from the tap each day and my tap water is about 8.2 ph. My question, I have checked the tank water one hour after the change and the PH goes up about 0.4, is the 8.2 water going into the 6.0 tank a shock to the fish? They look fine, go into the water to play when I fill it, and I have had no problems with this method. I'm just wondering if I should let the water age a day or will this easier method be OK?

A neurotic discus keeper......

[Don Trinko]

I'm no expert but I think that as long as you add the water slowly and do not change a large % of water at WC you will be ok.
I am surprized that you tank water stay's in the 6 range with the daily wc of 8.2 water.
Some of the ph test kits do not measure the higher ph's accurately. ( very little color change fron 7.4 on up) I use a ph probe that I originaly got for my hot tub. You can also get ph/clorine test kits (got mine at Wallmart) that are meant for pools/hottubs and show larger color differences at the higher ph's. Don T.

[MSD]

I should get a PH meter, much easier to check. I'm amazed too but I check the tanks and get 6.0 to 6.2, tap water turns the reagent blue which is 8 plus and I have a high reange kit. After an hour of the change the PH reads about 6.6 to 6.8, then the next day 6.0 again. Could be the bioload from the fish and the food, I do change about 30% each day. I was using Discus buffer from seachem, does it make sense to still use it to buffer the KH?

[Apistomaster]

MSD wrote "I was using Discus buffer from seachem, does it make sense to still use it to buffer the KH?"

I don't think so MSD. The fact that your pH drifts down to an ideal range for discus indicates you have a low KH to me but enough to stabilize the pH in the 6.0 to 6.5 range. It is possible for water to have a high pH and yet still be soft. I think most of us would be glad to have water similar to yours to work with. Altering the pH is easy if the KH is low.

[MSD]

Thanks for the responses and I agree with you Larry, I let my water stand 24 hours and its still 7.6 PH. I spoke to the water district manager and he said our water is 6.8 from the well and very soft but he has to add caustic soda to it because regulations on leaching lead from the pipes state the PH should be on the alkaline side. I guess with the mature biological filter and fish and food waste the water goes acid to the desired range. I was worried the incoming water at a higher PH could hurt the discus, but they have been fine and growing for so long, why add aged water now? Especially since the PH doesn't drop with aging and there is no chlorine in our supply.

[Elite Aquaria]

MSD,

I do water changes as you do...my Tank water is around 6.5 and my tap is 8.4...a small change in PH from 6.0-6.4 is no big deal for your fish...Now if you want to breed I would recommend stabilizing your storage water then adding it to your tank...but for grow outs it does not matter.

[MSD]

Thank you Dan for taking the time to answer my question, that is exactly what I am going to do as I have no plans to breed. Although, a pair that formed in one tank does keep laying eggs on the filter tube.

[MSD]

And thanks to Larry and Don too for giving virtually the same opinion, makes me feel better about doing my water changes from the tap!