Habitat - Indoor :: How important is the PH level??

[untsmurf]

While you are testing each chemical separately, you should have a control, i.e. just plain tap water.

So get three samples, one plain, one with reptisafe, one with stress zyme. Let each set out and test all three.

[grooves12]

this may be a dumb question, but are you doing the test properly?

Yes I am testing properly, I have an AP master test kit and following instructions to a T.

Right now, I am turtle-less so there is truly NOTHING in the tank.

I was doing some reading on other websites more geared towards fish keeping, and they said you can not tell the accurate pH of tap water unless you let it sit for 24 hours. Apparently there are gasses that are often trapped in the tap water while en route through the municipal system that will have an effect on a pH test if done immediately out of the tap. This combined with tap water that has a low buffering capacity, can cause high pH spikes.

That is my guess as to what is going on.

Since, I have time before I get a turtle in there, I currently am gonna try to sort this out truly one step at a time. I filled the tank with tap water, didn't add anything, have the filter off, and am letting it sit overnight. I will test tomorrow to see where it settles. My guess is it will make the same 8.8+ spike...

If not I will add things one at a time and wait 24 hours between tests... but Im almost certain i wont have to. If it just is a case of REALLY basic tap water, I plan on investing in a RO filtration system. I was planning on getting one for the home for my personal drinking water anyways... but I will use that water to fill the tank with as well. Apparently that should solve these kinds of problems if it is a case of just being an issue with the tap water itself.

[grooves12]

Well, so much for that theory... after almost 24 hours of settling, the pH just went up a hair from 7.8 to 8.0.

Next step is to run the filter with untreated water for 24 hours and see what happens...

[Pain@Snappy]

My turtle tank was doing the same thing. We were asking everyone, no answers that helped us at all, until today. We were asked if there was an white coating (kinda cottony) in the tank or on the turtles, and there is (whenever we asked about it, we were told they were just shedding) they gave us a chemical for fungi and bacteria. API Pimafix, and told it was ick. To use it for a week and see what happens. Fingers crossed that it works.

[steve]

Hi Pain@Snappy, welcome to the forum. This is a very old thread, I'm not sure if it's the one you wanted to reply to.