Can water be too hard?

[jhoffy]

OK, I have been doing this for a couple of months... I have had lots of mortalities. All of my levels have been checked and seem to be fine except of my pH which has been consistenly 8.0
Now, I checked my dKH and it was 17 which I know is also high, but I was under the impression that when it is high, the pH is more stable.
I went to the store and they gave me Seachem's Marine Buffer which "Safely raises and Maintains lH to 8.3"
Against my better judgement (I have a science background) I used this to try and raise my pH. Yep, you guessed it... pH is still 8.0 and my dkH is now 25.
Any ideas on how to handle it? I have done water changes in the past and the pH still remains at 8.0
My fish are all OK right now, but what is going to happen?
Also, why did I have this problem to begin with? I used tap water, dechlorinated it with stress coat, and used Instant Ocean for salt.
Why can't I get this pH and dkH under control?
BTW the tank is 40gal
Thanks in advance.
Jon

 

[bang guy]

Hi Jon! Welcome :jumping: :cheer: :cheer: :jumping:
Tap water contains many elements that are bad for saltwater animals.
I would guess that your Calcium level is very low, possibly lower than 250ppm. This is a problem.
Fist, I would recommend not using untreated tap water and buy a RO/DI unit or at least a Hi-S RO unit. Then Perform a series of water changes to get your water parameters back in balance.

 

[badkharma]

The mortalities could be other issues other than tap water, like overfeeding. Overfeeding can cause a lot more problems than tap water can (there are exceptions of course). I've used tap water to fill my tanks initially (after that I always use RO/DI) and not had any problems. You mentioned using stress-coat in your tap water - that's good for the fish coatings, but it doesn't change the water at all. When you fill a tank with tap water, you need to use a dechlorinator/heavy metal remover before you do anything else (even salt). I've just always used Tetra Aquasafe water conditioners and they work just fine when first setting up a tank. You can also expect a little more of an aggressive diatom bloom after cycling compared with RO/DI water, but it goes away pretty quickly. It all also depends on your local water conditions. I also wouldn't worry too much about an 8.0 Ph. Although on the low end, it is still acceptable, as long as it's stable. Consistent water changes should bring it back around 8.3, and replace trace elements as well.

 

[jhoffy]

OK, I did a 1/3 water change with distilled water. The pH of the new water with Instant Ocean salt is 8.0, the dKH is 6. I am hoping this will bring my levels back to normal.
I'm still not sure how to get my pH up to 8.3 if the salt mix is 8.0 and it is a buffered mix.
Jon

 

[bang guy]

What time of day are you testing the PH in your aquarium?
I'm not at all concerned with your PH. *.0 is fine IMO. I'm very worried that your ALK level is going to cause a precipitation event.

 

[jhoffy]

I can test it in the morning or at night... it is always the same.

 

[jhoffy]

I put some Peat in my media chamber as this was a suggestion to soften my water.... now the water is brownish in color. I took the Peat out.

 

[bang guy]

peat = bad idea.
RO/DI is the way to go.
Until then the distilled water is fine.

 

[jhoffy]

yep, I learned that quickly.
Distilled water for now. RO water when I can find some.
Thanx.
what about the hardness and the pH?

 

[cgavduece]

Most supermarkets. Go into the water aisle and check the caps on the 5 gallon water jugs to make sure they say "purified through reverse osmosis." I'm not sure where you live, but down here in Florida most Publix Supermarkets have machines that will allow you to refill the 5 gallon jugs with reverse osmosis water for $.33 a gallon. Also, your local Marine Fish dealer may have a reverse osmosis unit that you could use, along with pre-mixed RO saltwater. This is a huge convenience.

 

[jhoffy]

Yeah, another perc to living in the sunshine state.
I've been looking in the supermarkets here in Michigan and have not found any RO water. I checked at my LFS and they will sell me RO water, but it's much more convenient to go the the supermarket as the LFS is 30 minutes away.
On a side note, I grew up in Florida and went to post graduate school there. I see you are a law student. Where do you go?
Jon

 

[cgavduece]

I'm in my 3rd year at St. Thomas University Law School. I went to school up at Florida State for undergrad and majored in Poli Sci. I was thinking, the RO water I get is Deer Park. I know that the bottled water companies deliver RO water right to your door if you order it. The reason I know this is because when I worked as a Legislative Intern (Errand Boy) in Tallahassee for the Florida Association of Counties, I had to lug those 5 gallon jugs up a flight of stairs every week after the water guy delivered them. That is another option you could look into. I guess it would be the ultimate convenience to have it delevered right to your door. You might want to look into: Glacier, Deer Park, Zephyrhills.