×
Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

water ph

More
22 Apr 2007 07:44 #1 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
Well , I have decided not to use the sand substate and have opted for a gravel one. The thing is , the gravel is is increasing the ph of my water and I am wondering will it become inert eventually or will it always increase the PH. I also have a large piece of bogwood which I am hoping will bring the ph down, but it is about 8 months old , so I am not sure whether it will have any affect .

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
22 Apr 2007 09:02 #2 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Re: water ph

The thing is , the gravel is is increasing the ph of my water and I am wondering will it become inert


Damian,
You probably don't have lime-free gravel, identifying this this was previously covered in another post.

If you are thinking of making a change it's fairly simple nowadays to get gravel which is lime-free - thus making it inert from the outset, I would suggest you replace your existing gravel with lime-free stuff and that will save having to wait for your gravel to become inert (if ever!).

Your bogwood would help to lower the pH if the lime content in your gravel wasn't high, but from what you say I think it must be pretty high in lime content. Also, do you have rocks? - Some rocks are forever leaching lime and will have a similar effect.

HTH

John :roll:

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
22 Apr 2007 15:45 #3 by KenS (Ken Simpson)
Replied by KenS (Ken Simpson) on topic Re: water ph
Are you sure that th gravel is causing the problem?
I had a similar problem which coincided with me adding a sandstone decoration a few months back. My pH was around 7.6 out of the tap but rose to 8.2 after a couple of days.

I was convinced it was the decoaration, but when I took it out, I still had the problem. Turned out that my pH out of the tap has risen, but needed a couple of days before the true pH could be read.

To be sure, I took two buckets of water. Added the sandstone decoration to one and just water in the other. I tested the pH in each bucket on a daily basis. By the end of 5 days, the pH was the exact same in each bucket so I was sure that the decoration wasn't causing my problem.

Regards,

Ken.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Anthony (Anthony)
  • Anthony (Anthony)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
22 Apr 2007 16:53 #4 by Anthony (Anthony)
Replied by Anthony (Anthony) on topic Re: water ph
Bogwood won`t have much effect on your ph. What fish are you intending to keep.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
22 Apr 2007 17:15 #5 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
Replied by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland) on topic ph
@anto. same fish , just changing tank. Got a juwel Vision 260 and am moving my fish across( discus , rummys and cardinals)
gravel contains calcium which I believe raises the ph. is there any way to stop this ? maybe boiling the gravel ?

@Ken , checked the water at tap is about bang on 7 , after 1 night in my tank it is over 8.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Anthony (Anthony)
  • Anthony (Anthony)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
22 Apr 2007 17:21 #6 by Anthony (Anthony)
Replied by Anthony (Anthony) on topic Re: water ph
I have a bag of neutral sand and a bag of Black glass. You can have it if you like.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
  • apistodiscus (apistodiscus)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
23 Apr 2007 01:03 #7 by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
Replied by apistodiscus (apistodiscus) on topic Re: water ph
Damian,
boiling won't help. New inert gravel is your only option. Pain in the backside but next time you know to check for hardness builders before you use any new gravel :oops:

Holger

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 06:38 #8 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
not gonna happen. already swapped out the sand.what i was wondering is if the gravel will permantely up the PH or does it lose it PHness after a while, as in if i was told empty and fill the tank a few times would it has less an affect ?

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
  • apistodiscus (apistodiscus)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
23 Apr 2007 07:17 #9 by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
Replied by apistodiscus (apistodiscus) on topic Re: water ph
That's what I was referring to. You will have to change your gravel. In your or my lifetime it will not stop increasing your ph. Test gravel before you put it in the tank.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 09:25 #10 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
Replied by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland) on topic ok
ok so , if gravel is putting it up , what can i put in the tank to bring it back down. I dont mean to be smart , but my wife will murder me if I tell her i need to change the substrate again.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 09:34 #11 by KenS (Ken Simpson)
Replied by KenS (Ken Simpson) on topic Re: water ph
You can filter through peat or add bogwood. Filtering through peat is probably more long term as you can replace the peat in your filter when it becomes less effective.

If your tank is planted, you can trying adding CO2. That's what I do. Brings my pH down from 7.8 to 6.8 using a DIY system. Practically costs me nothing to set up and run.

If I were you, I'd swap out the substrate. It saves a lot of messing around and constant water monitoring. Particularly if you have fish that are very sensitive to changes in pH. You could try swithing out a small amount at a time over a few weeks.

Regards,

Ken.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
  • apistodiscus (apistodiscus)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
23 Apr 2007 09:47 #12 by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
Replied by apistodiscus (apistodiscus) on topic Re: water ph
Ken's right. Exchanging the substrate is the only way. Othrwise you will get gardness and ph fluctuations. Fish like stable conditions. It's the secret of keeping a lot of the 'harder to keep' species like discus, altums etc..

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Anthony (Anthony)
  • Anthony (Anthony)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
23 Apr 2007 10:19 #13 by Anthony (Anthony)
Replied by Anthony (Anthony) on topic Re: water ph
Your Discus won`t like the water parameters changing all the time.
The trick is to keep the water stable.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 10:47 #14 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
i agree Anto, can someone please tell we where I can buy inert whiteish gravel ??? please ?

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Anthony (Anthony)
  • Anthony (Anthony)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
23 Apr 2007 11:33 #15 by Anthony (Anthony)
Replied by Anthony (Anthony) on topic Re: water ph
I told you already I have a bag in the shed. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 12:09 #16 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
is that gravel or sand..
dont want to head down the sand road again...

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 12:23 #17 by Daragh_Owens (Daragh Owens)
I went the sand route this weekend, got a bag a playsand in Woodies, took no time to wash, just half filled a bucket and fired the hose into it for about 3 mins while stirring all the time. Dumped remaining sand into tank, it sank straight to the bottom and the Corys love it. Sorry I did not do this ages ago.

To reduce the effort to swap your current substrate to sand, why not syphon it out over a couple of evenings and dump in sand?


Daragh

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 12:50 #18 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
daragh, spent about 10 hours of last week trying to clean sand...

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Anthony (Anthony)
  • Anthony (Anthony)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
23 Apr 2007 14:22 #19 by Anthony (Anthony)
Replied by Anthony (Anthony) on topic Re: water ph
The stuff I have is the real deal. Bought it from Kinsealy. Easy to clean and sinks very fast. Much faster than the fish waste when you run your hand through it.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 14:30 #20 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
@anto ...do you provide an installation service ?

:)

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Anthony (Anthony)
  • Anthony (Anthony)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
23 Apr 2007 14:35 #21 by Anthony (Anthony)
Replied by Anthony (Anthony) on topic Re: water ph
Thats big dollar. Its not that bad to remove. I have done it many times.
A fish net is the best. Straight in to a bin.
The sand I have is easy to clean. Two or three rinses under the tap and it done.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 14:39 #22 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
i'll give u $5

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Anthony (Anthony)
  • Anthony (Anthony)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
23 Apr 2007 14:41 #23 by Anthony (Anthony)
Replied by Anthony (Anthony) on topic Re: water ph
Stick a nought after the 5 and its a deal. :lol: :lol:

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 14:42 #24 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
i'll stick 2 ... $5.00

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • Anthony (Anthony)
  • Anthony (Anthony)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
23 Apr 2007 14:59 #25 by Anthony (Anthony)
Replied by Anthony (Anthony) on topic Re: water ph
Cheap fewker.

Don`t do decimals. :lol: :lol:

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
23 Apr 2007 15:03 #26 by Daragh_Owens (Daragh Owens)
I promise this stuff from Woodies which I think was €6 for 25kg was a dream to clean. I was expecting hours of messing about and a cloudy tank for a week. None of that. I had sand in the bottom of six Cory tanks within an hour!!! I tried to get teh real sand but it was not in stock when I checked a couple of times. When it arrives I will still get it to see if there is any difference, I have another 5 or 6 tanks that need it anyway. If I could get a darker sand I think I would replace the gravel in my two show tanks too!

Try it. Take Anto up on his offer.


Daragh

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  • apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
  • apistodiscus (apistodiscus)'s Avatar
  • Visitor
  • Visitor
24 Apr 2007 09:41 #27 by apistodiscus (apistodiscus)
Replied by apistodiscus (apistodiscus) on topic Re: water ph
@Daragh,
is that Woodies own brand playsand or the stuff you can buy in any garden centre?
Have to set up a tank in my dentists office and don't want to be at that for days on end.

Holger

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
24 Apr 2007 10:28 #28 by Daragh_Owens (Daragh Owens)
It is Westland sand, also I got it from Atlanic not Woodies, sorry about that, forgot I went there after Woodies.


Daragh

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
24 Apr 2007 12:20 #29 by Acara (Dave Walters)
Replied by Acara (Dave Walters) on topic Re: water ph
I have the same(I presume)Westland sand from Atlantic as Daragh,like he says,a quick wash and no cloudy water at all.No problems with it after 5 months,and the 20 odd corys in tank prefer it to the gravel they had.
They told me so :twisted:

always on the lookout for interesting corys.pm me if you know off any!

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
24 Apr 2007 16:25 #30 by Damian_Ireland (Damian_Ireland)
well thx to Anto I am trying sand again tomorrow, if it does not work I will be on the 6 o'clock news after going postal.....

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.076 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum