# Tap Water PH read out..



## SEAN420 (Nov 24, 2011)

Ok, I've done one water change since i've moved my tank and had no problems. I tested my tap's PH the first time and it was somewhere around 7.4 to 7.6 BUT, i wanted to do one now today. And i just tested my tap water again. And it's at an Astounding 8.2!!! Would be great if i were housing africans.. But i have a SA/CA mix.. So.. im just curious on what i should do?.. Last time it wasn't a problem. I believe i did 15 gallons last time its a 55 gal tank. so i used 10 tap gallons and 5 R/O gallons. I figured the R/O water would buffer the tap water down a little. Is that even possible? Lol.. And if the R/O can buffer the tap by mixing.. Should i just do 10tap and 10 R/O and just monitor my PH level.. I have PH up and down. But i dont want to have to go slamming my tank with Chemicals to adjust it drastically. Tanks ph right now looks to be 7.5ish.. Should i try to get the ph down a little more b4 i do the water change? Thanks guys.. :thumb:


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

I would leave it alone.

Also...my tap jumped from 7.2 - 8.2 within a two-three month period of time.


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## SEAN420 (Nov 24, 2011)

i did the change. 10gal of R/O and 10 of Tap.. the tap went back down to like 7.6 the R/O will buffer it down hopefully. ty


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## SEAN420 (Nov 24, 2011)

Actually.. PROBLEM... After i did my water change. I turned the light back on to test the water. And i notice that 2 of my 5 cichlids have white spots on them. Could the water change have caused [email protected]! or could it be from me stirring up some of the tank gravel vaccing it? My blue acara has a little sore by it's mouth. But i figured it was from running into something while evading the tiny Green terror. What would be the best ich solution i can put in to treat my tank? :-?


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## SEAN420 (Nov 24, 2011)

I put in some Frozen Misis shrimp for the first time yesterday to see if they would like it. But would that cause it?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

How many white spots? Are you sure it is not tiny water bubbles?

If it is ICH you can use meds or heat/salt.

If you go with heat/salt you need to dose 1tbl for every 5 gallons and pre-dissolve in tank water first then add in 3 or 4 increments over the course of several hours. Turn heat up to at least 86 and do daily gravel vacuuming which also include 25% or so water changes. Add back in pre-dissolved salt only to the water being replaced. So if you replace 10 gallons of water then add back in 2tbl. You can use aquarium salt, sea salt, kosher salt, etc....just make sure there are no anti-caking agents.

I would also turn the lights on during the water changes/gravel vauuming and feed before hand. Then do the water changes and gravel vacuuming then turn the lights off as it keeps the fish from being stressed.

Also...make sure you have plenty of aeration or surface agitation as warmer water holds less oxygen.

You can also go with meds and the only medication I have experience with is coppersafe but depending on the type of fish this may not be an option. If you go with meds leave the tank temp where it is now.


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## smitty (May 7, 2004)

The pH is not to the extreme for them so I would not worry.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

13razorbackfan said:


> Are you sure it is not tiny water bubbles?


 :lol: This happens to my fish a lot following water changes.


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## SEAN420 (Nov 24, 2011)

Im pretty sure water bubbles would of come off already. I only notice the spots on my GTgoldsaum, and Blue Acara, The acara has a tiny lil sore under its mouth but like i said i thought it was caused from the gt chasing the acara around the tank.. I didnt think ich would arise from a water change really  so the name of the product is called CopperSafe?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

SEAN420 said:


> Im pretty sure water bubbles would of come off already. I only notice the spots on my GTgoldsaum, and Blue Acara, The acara has a tiny lil sore under its mouth but like i said i thought it was caused from the gt chasing the acara around the tank.. I didnt think ich would arise from a water change really  so the name of the product is called CopperSafe?


Yes...this is the only ICH product I have experience with. There are several others on the market. Just be careful that the med you do choose, if you go that route, does not kill off all your nitrifying bacteria. Coppersafe can be dangerous when over dosed and can be deadly to certain types of fish. You can read the directions and instructions online and that is what i would do before purchasing.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

How about a couple of pics before you begin medicating?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

GTZ said:


> How about a couple of pics before you begin medicating?


This is a very good idea. That is what I do when I am not sure 100%.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

SEAN420 said:


> Actually.. PROBLEM... After i did my water change. I turned the light back on to test the water. And i notice that 2 of my 5 cichlids have white spots on them. Could the water change have caused [email protected]! ?


 you only just changed the water... Ich takes at least a day to develop into spots... Your fish (if they have ich) had it prior to the water change.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

A question for you, for how long do you let the tap water sit, after being poured out of the tap before testing the ph? I am far from the expert on the matter, but I seem to recall that the ph of tap water can change quite a bit if you just leave it to sit for a few hours... Somebody, anybody, help out here.

As others have mentioned, ich won't be caused by a water change. Ich seems to me to be a parasite that affects fish most often when they are stressed. It is possible that Ich was present already, and that the stress of a water change allowed the Ich to flourish. Then again, I'm not an expert in disease, so I should probably shut up now. opcorn:


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Fogelhund said:


> A question for you, for how long do you let the tap water sit, after being poured out of the tap before testing the ph? I am far from the expert on the matter, but I seem to recall that the ph of tap water can change quite a bit if you just leave it to sit for a few hours... Somebody, anybody, help out here.
> 
> As others have mentioned, ich won't be caused by a water change. Ich seems to me to be a parasite that affects fish most often when they are stressed. It is possible that Ich was present already, and that the stress of a water change allowed the Ich to flourish. Then again, I'm not an expert in disease, so I should probably shut up now. opcorn:


Yes....you really need to wait 24hrs to let the water sit and it is preferable to have some sort of aeration or filtration/stirring of the water to help the CO2 release. Then test the water.

ICH was probably as you mentioned present already. Stress and other infections seem to really bring help it along. Number6, Robin and others should be able to help out here a bit more. I have learned from my experience with ICH plus the research I have done but by no means am I an expert.


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

Fogelhund said:


> Ich seems to me to be a parasite that affects fish most often when they are stressed.


That could be. 
But IME, ich comes from the petshop. If you don't purchase new fish, you are very unlikely to see an outbreak of ich---- I have never seen it, other then shortly after the purchase of new fish.

Back around 1980, when my oldest brother moved out, he started back into fish. Kept getting ich, over and over. He bought a 1 gallon jug of .75 % malachite green (1 drop per gallon). Of course after the innitial purchases of fish, he never seen ich again (other then after new purchases) So he made that connection, of which has beeen my experience as well.

Sometimes in the 90's, he gave me this jug of malachite green, which is still over 3/4's full. It is the only med I own, or ever use. It works in 3 days. Never regarded ich as a very serious disease as i have never lost a fish from it. But you won't see ich, unless you purchase new fish.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

bernie comeau said:


> Never regarded ich as a very serious disease as i have never lost a fish from it. But you won't see ich, unless you purchase new fish.


Mostly agree with the first sentence, 100% disagree with the second. 
There are more than one strain of the parasite and one i fear is " silent Ich". Contagious, barely any spots ever show but gills are destroyed... A rare strain, but i can see how Ich " can" be a serious illness. Just dont see the majority of the cases this way.

It is very common for a seemingly healthy tank to develop Ich right after a heater fails and the fish were chilled for too long. I have even experienced it... Didnt lose a single fish when it happened, hadnt even visited a fish store in almost 3 months prior to it happening. Experiences like that lead directly to the myth that it is omnipresent even though we know that to be false.


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## bernie comeau (Feb 19, 2007)

Number6 said:


> It is very common for a seemingly healthy tank to develop Ich right after a heater fails and the fish were chilled for too long. I have even experienced it...


That it is possible for fish to get ich with out it originating from the LFS......could be. That it is common.....I'm not convinced. I really do beleive that the LFS is the reason most people will experience ich. No doubt, it is very contagious as one fish get's ich, generally most tankmates will get it, as well, in short time.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

bernie comeau said:


> I really do beleive that the LFS is the reason most people will experience ich.


 i would agree with that statement. Most Ich cases are from LFS contamination. Other situations are common in my experiences... I help quite a few folks fix their problem tanks.



bernie comeau said:


> No doubt, it is very contagious as one fish get's ich, generally most tankmates will get it, as well, in short time.


I do not find it to be overly contagious. Clean water and healthy fish slow the spread of Ich considerably...Any fish that has once had a mild case of Ich will show a bit of an immunity.

Imho, a contagious illness is one that spreads from host to host at a steady and thorough rate. When Ich strikes any tank of mine, maybe one other fish gts sick.


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