pH & hydra

[CYKong <CYKong@aol.com>]

  When my 120g tank was infested by hydra (at first I thought it was algae and
let them spread - but that's another problem and another story... :) ),
breaking the tank down was not an option because of the heavy planting and the
problems with breaking in a tank with a fish load suitable only for an
established tank.  After much research and plain old foolin' around -
including reduced feedings and salt - I tried (like Nick) the "blue gourami"
(trichogaster trichopterus), which is also known as the "three-spot gourami",
except that mine were gold, had stripes and no spots.   worked, and the hydra
were gone in a couple of weeks and eventually I donated the two gouramis back
to the fish store.  Funny thing is that I tried gouramis only because the
Baensch Atlas (vol. i) suggested it, but when I went back and checked later -
I realized that the BA was talking about gouramis (which they labelled as
trichogaster sumatranus in the pest discussion) eating planaria, not hydra.
"Hydra, leeches and diskworms" was only a heading.  Oops... all's well that
ends well, I guess.

  Second, I see that hard water seems to be a problem for many people on this
list, but I have not seen any postings on what to do if the water is too soft.
In New York City, water comes from the tap at about 6.8pH, <1 GH and <.5 KH
(according to testing by Aq. Pharm. pH & GH and Tetra KH tests - these values
are the end limits).  Yes, the water is amazing (in fact, an article in New
York Magazine reported that New York City water is "better" than many bottled
waters), but, the problem is that it is very difficult to maintain a stable
pH.  I have tried sodium bicarbonate, but the pH jump is too much in relation
to the KH increase.  Even the smallest dose hikes the pH, e.g., 1/4 teaspon
raises the pH to about 7.2 / 7.4 and KH to about 0.5 to 1KH in a 30g tank.
Interestingly enough, Kordon's NovAqua (which claims to temporarily buffer
water) raises the pH to about 7.2 and maintains it for at least a week or two.

  I am in the process of "testing" "pH regulators" and am becoming very
disappointed.    So far I have tried Mardel's Buffer-Up (which is labelled as
100% sodium bicarbonate and probably should be avoided in favor of the cheaper
Arm & Hammer) and Seachem's Acid Buffer and Alkaline Buffer.  I must say that
the Seachem products were dangerous.  Each jar came stickered with mixing
ratios to obtain target pHs, but did not cover up the old ratios.  I tried the
various combinations and found them to be inaccurate (both sticker and
preprinted label ratios).  More importantly, I found that the pH is not stable
until a day after mixing.  A reading taken immediately after dosing would be
significantly different the next day (e.g., a 1:1 ratio which should give a
6.0 result, gave a 6.2 upon mixing and became 7.6 or higher the next morning,
a 1:2 acid/alkaline ratio was supposed to be 7.0, mixed at 6.6-6.8 and became
7.6 or higher).  In addition, using Acid Buffer alone, despite indicating
desired pH levels upon mixing, also caused my tanks to crash overnight,
causing pH to fall to 6.0 or lower (test limits).

  Also, I am currently fooling around with Seachem's Neutral Regulator (NR),
Aq. Pharm.'s Proper pH 6.5 (PP) and Jungle's pH 6.5 (JP).  Clearly, I have
become a tad crazed.  Mixed in approximately a quart of water at 1/8 tsp. for
each item (each recommends 1tsp per 10g): the initial results have been NR =
pH 7.2, PP 6.4 and JP 6.6 (as for KH, for the sake of comparison only, NR=9,
PP=4.5, JP=7).  I will post my results after some more testing and waiting.

  In the meantime, I would appreciate the posting of any comments, similar
methods or experience with such soft water, particularly from those who use
distilled water.  BTW, my test tanks have been 30g, lightly stocked, very thin
gravel layer (no pH impact), 50% water changes every week, with the water
values indicated above.  Oh, and yes, sometimes, without treatment and with
regular water changes, the pH crashes... sigh....

- -Myongsu Kong.