For as long as I can remember, the tapwater here has been very high in GH at 437ppm and a high pH of around 8.5.
I have sorted my fish between 7 tanks to allow me to mix water to get the best result for the species in each tank.
Mainly that consisted of adding bottled Asda or Tesco water that has low GH and pH.
Each tank differs in what I need for the best for the fish. So, those who have watched my posts over the last couple of months will know I spent a good amount of cash on a rainwater collection operation, as well as the money on bottled water at £1.20 per 5 ltr bottle.
I really do want the best.
So........
This morning I want to do a water change on a couple of tanks and as normal I did a TDS check on the tapwater to confirm everything was still the same. And...... wait of it.......
The TDS now shows as 176ppm and the pH is at 6 - 7
I called my local Aquarist shop and he says his friend works for NWA and the water station that normally feeds our supply is offline due to massive electrical problems. The water is now now being pumped from another reservoir.
I called the NWA office for an update on the water quality report they put out and I'm supposed to be getting a call from the quality team, sometime.....
Now I ain't complaining about having softer water as most tanks are better that way and only 2 is well above the 176ppm. But the pH is problematic.
I will now have to spend the rest of the day figuring it out again and perhaps needing to add some sort of stone etc to harden the water where necessary. A low pH isn't all that good for some fish either and if anyone knows how to raise it I'd appreciate it. All my previous calculations as to what I need to mix to get each tank's correct parameters needs a rethink. The upside to this is that I can at least store as much tapwater as possible right now and let the chlorine evaporate before the pumping station goes back to the usual very hard supply.
I think though that a move such as a change of supply with completely different water properties is completely out of order without notification to the households and businesses that are using the water.
Some people may take it for granted that our tapwater is still very hard and are taking remedial action to lower the GH. It might seem trivial but some people may suffer badly as a result.
I have sorted my fish between 7 tanks to allow me to mix water to get the best result for the species in each tank.
Mainly that consisted of adding bottled Asda or Tesco water that has low GH and pH.
Each tank differs in what I need for the best for the fish. So, those who have watched my posts over the last couple of months will know I spent a good amount of cash on a rainwater collection operation, as well as the money on bottled water at £1.20 per 5 ltr bottle.
I really do want the best.
So........
This morning I want to do a water change on a couple of tanks and as normal I did a TDS check on the tapwater to confirm everything was still the same. And...... wait of it.......
The TDS now shows as 176ppm and the pH is at 6 - 7
I called my local Aquarist shop and he says his friend works for NWA and the water station that normally feeds our supply is offline due to massive electrical problems. The water is now now being pumped from another reservoir.
I called the NWA office for an update on the water quality report they put out and I'm supposed to be getting a call from the quality team, sometime.....
Now I ain't complaining about having softer water as most tanks are better that way and only 2 is well above the 176ppm. But the pH is problematic.
I will now have to spend the rest of the day figuring it out again and perhaps needing to add some sort of stone etc to harden the water where necessary. A low pH isn't all that good for some fish either and if anyone knows how to raise it I'd appreciate it. All my previous calculations as to what I need to mix to get each tank's correct parameters needs a rethink. The upside to this is that I can at least store as much tapwater as possible right now and let the chlorine evaporate before the pumping station goes back to the usual very hard supply.
I think though that a move such as a change of supply with completely different water properties is completely out of order without notification to the households and businesses that are using the water.
Some people may take it for granted that our tapwater is still very hard and are taking remedial action to lower the GH. It might seem trivial but some people may suffer badly as a result.
