The most common reason for a high pH with low hardness is low dissolved
CO2. With a hardness of 2 DKH, and a CO2 of 0.5ppm, you would expect the
pH to be around 8.1. That's normal. Just increasing the CO2
concentration to 6ppm will make your pH 7.0. I believe just stocking a
tank with fish will be more than enough to accomplish 6ppm CO2.
Laura Burbage wrote:
> 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
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