Re: PH crashing Up?

["Tomoko Schum" <tomokoschum@knology.net>]

Teresa,

Your local utility company should be able to tell you the
general source of the alkalinity in your water.

The utility company in my city adds a lot of CO2 (for what
purpose I don't know), and the tap water initially come out
with a relatively low pH (7.0 to 7.2) despite the relatively
high alkalinity of my tap water.  The pH of my tap water
goes up after a few hours to 7.8 to 8.0 just by sitting in a
bucket (when a lot of CO2 finally dissipates into the
atmosphere.)  Fish hobbyists around here bitterly complain
about this pH swing (I suspect they tend to overcompensate
with chemicals), although my aquatic plants just love it.
My fish seems oblivious to the initial pH swing.

Additionally the utility company here changes the water
source twice a year (to compensate the surge in the water
usage in the summer - they call it rerouting) and my water
in winter not only becomes a liquid rock but also contains a
lot of nitrate and phosphate (plus more.)  If your fish are
laying eggs but the eggs are not developing, I wonder if
there might be a trace of copper in your water.  Angelfish
breeders complain that the copper content as low as 0.5 ppm
(well below EPA requirement or so I was told) kills
angelfish eggs.  Again, the utility company can tell you
about the copper content of your water as well.

Tomoko




----- Original Message -----
From: <LeeH920226@aol.com>
To: <apisto@v2.listbox.com>
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2003 7:39 PM
Subject: Re: PH crashing Up?


>
> In a message dated 4/28/03 7:55:22 PM, TD7894@aol.com
writes:
>
> << Don't suppose there's anything I can
> do besides RO?  Anything neutralize this stuff?   >>
>
> Here is a quote from Barry Cooper about his experiences:
>
> Sometimes that's not the case. I have related my story
before, so will try
> to be brief. My water is dead soft but very alkaline and
strongly buffered
> due to its content of sodium silicates. I don't actually
make RO water as
> those units are not useful at removing silicates over the
long term.
> However, I do want to add some hardness and trace minerals
to my water,
> which has almost nothing else in it. So, I use
Equilibrium. Plants that
> died in my water before treating it, now live and even
grow. In my tap
> water, even when aged to bring the pH back to about 8,
Java moss, which
> most people can't kill with a stick, simply died. Now it
does not.
>
> If you use rainwater I would consider adding Equilibrium
or similar to
> bring it to the desired hardness. Again, if your tap water
contains a
> well-balanced mix of salts, adding tap water would be just
as good.
>
> In short, I think it is well worth having an analysis of
your tap water so
> that you know what you are adding.
>
> Barry
>
> Lee Harper
> Media, PA
> USA
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
-------------
> -- This is the apistogramma mailing list,
apisto@listbox.com. For
> instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe or get
help, email
> apisto-request@listbox.com. apisto-digest@listbox.com also
available.
> Web archives at http://lists.thekrib.com/apisto Trading at
> http://blox.dropship.org/mailman/listinfo/apisto_trader
>

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-- This is the apistogramma mailing list, apisto@listbox.com. For
instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe or get help, email
apisto-request@listbox.com. apisto-digest@listbox.com also available.
Web archives at http://lists.thekrib.com/apisto Trading at
http://blox.dropship.org/mailman/listinfo/apisto_trader