How to maintain PH while water change

[minz]

Have a 3 ft tank pH is at 6.5 by using water softener. Water change is by using hose directly from tap (pH 8). My query is how am I going to WC while maintaining pH at 6.5.

1) Is always a 50% of WC for me as I need to siphon poo from hidden spot.

2) Im not considering getting a large barrel or preparing 4-6 large pails of control pH aged water.

3) Wouldnt wanna use peat or ketapang leaves as the tannis...dont really like it.

Using water softener will take sometime to lower down pH when doing a direct WC from tap which pH is 8 it sure gonna give my fishes some hardtime. So I need help from u guys, will appreicate it.

[|JTBC|]

I also keen to know how to with all your restrictions.
Take first queue no.

[minz]

haha, scratch my head dono wat to do.

Any particular reason you need to maintain your PH at a specific level?

In order for PH to be stable & avoid fluctuations, you will need to have KH in your water which will in return increases your PH at the same time. Soft acidic water is not easy to maintain unless you can reconstruct your water eg: using RO water & buffers to maintain a specific PH. That is of course if you wish to invest the money & effort in doing so. My advice is that unless your fishes really requires a specific PH then you don't need to emphasize so much on it. Your fishes will be happier in a constant PH environment than one that is constantly changing.

Another way i did previously was that i let my PH naturally drop to a lower level & use coral chips to buffer it up to the PH i want & it has to be added bit by bit. your PH will not fluctuate that much the next time you do your water change.

Below is a site that explains the risks & benefits of setting up & maintaining a soft water tank.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwsoftness.htm

Fishkeeping should be an enjoyable hobby so most important is to keep it simple.

[Koji™]

Challenging. Without additive I don't see how one can keep ph at 6.5 even after huge water change and top back with water of ph 8... I too wanna know how.

So far the only tank I have low ph which can hit as low as 5 is my shrimp tank with soil in there. Tap water is ph 7 for my side and if water change only do a small 15%. And the only additive which I ever used to lower ph is peat. It doesn't taint my water as bad as ketapang leafs. Still a little bit of yellow taint that's all.

[|JTBC|]

I wonder how you can change 50% of water with pH 8.0 and maintain your current pH of 6.5. Not unless you WC in with water of the same value as pH 6.5.
That means you will need a reservoir to keep >50% of pH6.5 water that you required for instant WC.
Else you may have to break down into multiple small amount of WC that does not change the pH value too much at a time. i.e 50/7 % a day everyday.
It can be done as I'm doing 5-7% WC per day now.

Haha that is also a way to do it

[minz]

Originally Posted by plecory

Any particular reason you need to maintain your PH at a specific level?

In order for PH to be stable & avoid fluctuations, you will need to have KH in your water which will in return increases your PH at the same time. Soft acidic water is not easy to maintain unless you can reconstruct your water eg: using RO water & buffers to maintain a specific PH. That is of course if you wish to invest the money & effort in doing so. My advice is that unless your fishes really requires a specific PH then you don't need to emphasize so much on it. Your fishes will be happier in a constant PH environment than one that is constantly changing.

Another way i did previously was that i let my PH naturally drop to a lower level & use coral chips to buffer it up to the PH i want & it has to be added bit by bit. your PH will not fluctuate that much the next time you do your water change.

Below is a site that explains the risks & benefits of setting up & maintaining a soft water tank.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/fwsoftness.htm

Fishkeeping should be an enjoyable hobby so most important is to keep it simple.

Hi plecory ok is a long story, Im housing altums frm batch 2012, for these few wks pH fr tap raise up to 8 as previously was ard 7 I have no problem adjust pH to 6.5-6.7 at a specific time frame during WC then.

U are absolutely rite when u said if theres no need to than dont emphasie too much on it when yr fish stays at a constant pH environment. But now is a different story when pH fr tap stays at 8. Either I slowly raise my tank pH or find a way to lower tap pH. I choose the latter.

How do u lower yrs in a natural way plecory?

[minz]

Originally Posted by Koji™

Challenging. Without additive I don't see how one can keep ph at 6.5 even after huge water change and top back with water of ph 8... I too wanna know how.

So far the only tank I have low ph which can hit as low as 5 is my shrimp tank with soil in there. Tap water is ph 7 for my side and if water change only do a small 15%. And the only additive which I ever used to lower ph is peat. It doesn't taint my water as bad as ketapang leafs. Still a little bit of yellow taint that's all.

Hi Koji do u think either mosura or ocean free water softener (aquarium resin) will do the trick lower down the pH fr 8-6.5 during WC that kind of time frame? Quite impossible rite?

Do u think it be safer if I WC 20% rather than 50% (becos of massive poo at hidden spot) while using water softener during the process? Or I shld use peat instead?

I'm using 2x2217 eheim filters.

[minz]

Originally Posted by |JTBC|

I wonder how you can change 50% of water with pH 8.0 and maintain your current pH of 6.5. Not unless you WC in with water of the same value as pH 6.5.
That means you will need a reservoir to keep >50% of pH6.5 water that you required for instant WC.
Else you may have to break down into multiple small amount of WC that does not change the pH value too much at a time. i.e 50/7 % a day everyday.
It can be done as I'm doing 5-7% WC per day now.

Hi JTBC thats why I find it impratical to get few pails of pre-prepared pH 6.5 aged water. Im thinking the same too doing small WC for a few days but quite tiring after work so was thinkin maybe someone fr here have the experience or have some other suggestion.