Re: NANFA-L-- hardness and pH

David Ramsey (djramsey-in-earthlink.net)
Fri, 26 Aug 2005 10:12:00 -0400

Hi Laura,
This is David in Lawrenceville. I have the same type of water. Here in
Lawrenceville the reason is because what little stuff is in the water is
phosphates to reduce the leaching of lead out of the pipes! Makes ya thirsty
huh. I add some peat to the water, even a little bag of it in the filter
will help. Plus I add a very small amount of either yard lime or Seachem
Equilibium to give the water some buffering ability. Between the two I can
get the pH to stabilize around 6.6 - 6.8. Without it, the pH will go from 8
and crash down to below 5 with the nitrates killing the fish within a few
days in a crowded tank. CO2 will also help bring down the pH, but it still
needs some buffering ability.
Hope that helps.
David Ramsey Lawrenceville, GA
djramsey-in-earthlink.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Laura Burbage" <leuhrich-in-yahoo.com>
> I've got a chemistry question. The water here in
> Athens is very soft, less than 2 GH and KH. But it is
> persistently alkaline, around pH 8 or more. Why on
> earth is this? What can I do when I am working with
> tap water to raise the hardness without raising the
> pH? How can I lower the pH?
>
> Laura
> North Oconee River
> Georgia
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,
/ visit http://www.nanfa.org Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
/ consistent with the guidelines as per
/ http://www.nanfa.org/guidelines.shtml To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get
/ help, visit the NANFA email list home page and archive at
/ http://www.nanfa.org/email.shtml