****update**** Yorkshire Water Ph Change

[coldcazzie]

Not really - vallis tends to prefer harder water. I can't keep vallis alive for anything lol

 

[Spurry]

Thanks I will keep away from it.....

 

[Akasha72]

ps, didn't realise you were so close Akasha! nice to find local peeps!

Just down the road in a way! Tis indeed nice to meet some fellow Yorkshire fish keepers.


I've just rung my Dad, he's been wondering why his vallis keeps dying. Mine isn't great - refuses to multiply or grow but is still green-ish.
Now we know why so thanks

 

[coldcazzie]

Dwarf sag is an alternative that can grow very tall. It depends on it's circumstances though as it's often recommended as a foreground plant staying quite squat. I believe it has to do with higher/lower light levels. One of the members on here has some in her tank, she's in Hudds and it's grown like vallis - could be worth looking into?

 

[IcQb]

Not really - vallis tends to prefer harder water. I can't keep vallis alive for anything lol

Neither can I, not even in my tanganyika tank
GH: 20
KH: 15
pH: 8

 

[coldcazzie]

Not really - vallis tends to prefer harder water. I can't keep vallis alive for anything lol

Neither can I, not even in my tanganyika tank
GH: 20
KH: 15
pH: 8

I'm so glad it's not just me!

 

[Akasha72]

Dwarf sag is an alternative that can grow very tall. It depends on it's circumstances though as it's often recommended as a foreground plant staying quite squat. I believe it has to do with higher/lower light levels. One of the members on here has some in her tank, she's in Hudds and it's grown like vallis - could be worth looking into?

I wonder if that's what I've got now. It is a bit like vallis but kind of grassy looking too. I got some for the foreground of my tank and it's doing great. The fish don't eat it either like they do with the vallis. I also gave my Dad a clump (his ph is higher than mine for some reason and he's only 3 mile up the road - I've blamed his substrate but I could be wrong) too and it's doing well in his tank aswell.
I'll have to do some research later on and see if I can find some images on the net.

Thanks Cazzie, it's good to know what plants to avoid. I'm a true Yorkshire lass and don't like wasting money lol

 

[Craig89]

Not really - vallis tends to prefer harder water. I can't keep vallis alive for anything lol

Mine have always done really well in fact sometimes to well to the point were I have to cut back and bin alot of it

 

[Mowbz]

Did you wait 24 hours before doing the tap water pH test? If not, it is not valid and you should sit a sample of tap water for 24 hours before testing the pH.

Does this really make any difference, kittykat? My fishless cycle was riddled with PH crashes, not once did i leave any tap water stand for 24hrs (i presume it's something to do with the chlorine/chloramine and it's evaporation)? Should i have done it also?

Tap water needs to be stood for 24 hours because of dissolved CO[sub]2[/sub] (which makes the pH appear lower than it really is), although I have seen a few cases where tap water pH actually dropped after 24 hours!

Tank water should be tested immediately on taking it, as you want to know the conditions in the tank itself

As much as the above is all correct, i dont see how its relevant anyway. This would only be true if the OP normally tests tap water after 24hrs, but this occasion tested imemdiately.

Since the OP always tests straight from the tap, its good they've done the same, for the sake of continuity (even if the method is flawed). Had the same been left and for arguements sake had dropped over the 24hrs, this could have shown an even bigger drop than 7 to 6, and further worried the OP.

Since the OP measured from the tap previously, and has doen the same this time, and there is an apparent drop, OP is right to have cause for concern, whether it was tested after 24hrs or not.

 

[JSmails]

I'm in Leeds. Absolutely no Carbonate Hardness in the water either. According to the local shops has always been the same. I too suffered a PH drop recently too, although I believe this was more to do with the lack of KH.

I've brought both KH and PH up over last week successfully with crushed coral. Just doing it slowly though so tank doesnt get sudden changes.

 

[Akasha72]

My Dad has just told me that the water in Harrogate used to be so hard he had to de-scale the kettle every month (this will be going back maybe 30 years to when I was a child) then out of the blue it went the other way to the soft water that we have now. Maybe the hardness changes is something to keep an eye on in case it changes back to hard water again for no reason lol

Unfortunately I don't understand what KH & GH stand for

 

[IcQb]

In many parts of Belgium the water is SO hard, limescale forms in the kettle after a few uses...
I have to clean my tap'mousseurs' every month because of limescale.

Straight from the tap, water here is GH = 25 and KH: >15 (pH = 7.5)

Especially in cities with older pipe-systems. They have to add loads of chlorine to counter bacteria/microbial films
And then add massive amounts of H2CO3 to counter the chlorine...

That's why i dedided to go African cichlids

 

[coldcazzie]

Unfortunately I don't understand what KH & GH stand for

KH = carbonate hardness - a measure of how many ppm of carbonate ions there are present in the water
GH = general hardness - a measure of other dissolved minerals

Carbonate hardness can be "used up" by the acidic nitrates which are the end result of the nitrogen cycle, thus low KH can lead to pH crashes in a way that high KH doesn't (bedacuse it doesn't get used up as fast). In soft water areas the best thing to do to get around this is simply to do larger water changes for your weekly maintainance (I do 50%) rather than smaller ones.

 

[IcQb]

Unfortunately I don't understand what KH & GH stand for

KH = carbonate hardness - a measure of how many ppm of carbonate ions there are present in the water
GH = general hardness - a measure of other dissolved minerals

Carbonate hardness can be "used up" by the acidic nitrates which are the end result of the nitrogen cycle, thus low KH can lead to pH crashes in a way that high KH doesn't (bedacuse it doesn't get used up as fast). In soft water areas the best thing to do to get around this is simply to do larger water changes for your weekly maintainance (I do 50%) rather than smaller ones.

True that!

For any of you guys speaking dutch: this is an amazing piece of info.
I'll search for an english version later
Dutch!

 

[Akasha72]

it sounds very technical and I have to say I don't have a good head for technical. I do a good 30 litre water change every week so as I still don't reall fully understand I need to ask ... Is 30 litres (tank is 100 litres roughly) enough?

I did about 60 litres this week and the fish have been a lot more active since so maybe 30 isn't enough