Co2 and water changes

Relic

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Mar 18, 2009
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I've been keeping small 5 gallon planted tanks for a while using EI but I think I'm ready for a larger tank and Co2 injection.

So I have a bit of a novice question; My tap water pH is between 8.4 and 8.6, what kind of water would you folks recommend for water changes while I am injecting Co2? Should I be mixing distilled water with tap water? Use RO water or just add straight from tap to tank? I want to achieve a stable pH of 7.0. I plan on keeping a tank that is at least 30 gallons.

THx
 

Philosophos

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Worry about your KH more than pH. You can always cut your tap with RO water if it's too hard. ADA aquasoil can do some nice buffering things as well from what I understand, though I lack direct experience with it.

-Philosophos
 

Relic

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Mar 18, 2009
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The KH of my tap water is 4dH (dropped down from 6dH since last year).
I'll consider installing a RO unit for my tap. Thanks
 

Tom Barr

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Jan 23, 2005
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KH of 4 to 6 degrees sounds ideal really.

No need for an RO.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 

VaughnH

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It seems that some water supply companies add far more than seems necessary of a chemical to raise the pH well above 7. I suspect that is why some people report relatively low KH, but very high GH and pH. The only question I have is whether the substance being added is detrimental to plants or fish - is it soda ash?
 

abcemorse

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My tap water pH is close to 8, midday tank pH close to 6 and I do nothing special, drain it, prune if necessary, clean filters if necessary, fill it. Maybe I'm just lucky, we have good water in the northwest, but no issues.
 

shoggoth43

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Well...

MWRA - FAQs about Drinking Water

This is what I'm dealing with. No hardness to speak of but def. high pH to protect the pipes and keep from leaching lead ( or so I'm told, hopefully it works ). I have no idea what they're using. My guess is that many of the water companies do something similar.

-
S
 

VaughnH

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shoggoth43;37922 said:
Well...

MWRA - FAQs about Drinking Water

This is what I'm dealing with. No hardness to speak of but def. high pH to protect the pipes and keep from leaching lead ( or so I'm told, hopefully it works ). I have no idea what they're using. My guess is that many of the water companies do something similar.

-
S

No GH hardness, but I'll bet the water has a high KH. That water system really does have a high pH too. Man is a very adaptable creature, able to drink water with a widely varying set of parameters:p
 

Relic

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Mar 18, 2009
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Thanks for the interesting discussion, and yes, I will hold off on the RO water:)