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Eh, just thought I'd throw this out there. I'd really like to start using treated tap water for my tank just because it'd be easier, but I don't want to take the risk of playing around with the pH.

The parameters are:
Hardness - 100ppm
Alkalinity - 150ppm
pH - something well over 8.8
(I'm trying to get my friend who is a chemestry grad student to run some "offical" tests, but she's two hours away at the moment.) My best guess, seeing as how all the test kits I've used have become really odd colors, is that it's gotta be over 9.2.

Does anything like this type of water other than snails?

I'm dreaming, right?? I can just keep using bottled water.....

Are you on well water or city water? I only ask this because sometimes higher than normal levels of chlorine/chloramine can literally "burn" out the reagent, which could explain the odd color.

I saw that all the time doing water tests at the pool store I worked at when people got a little chlorine-happy. Their pH was normal, but there was so much oxidizing agent in the water that it was reacting with the pH indicator and giving a false reading.

Another questiong: if you are on well water, are you also running a water softener? While your pH is reading very high, your hardness is on the soft side.

Sorry I don't have a direct answer to your fish query; I'd just like to make sure that your pH is indeed as high as your test kits say it is.

Joe Potato

There are several small species of cichlid from lake Tanganyk(Spelling is off I am sure).

Be sure you check their temperament before selecting tank mates for them.

Good luck

I'd just like to make sure that your pH is indeed as high as your test kits say it is

And hardness as well. While Tangs do well with a high pH they also prefer harder water. Hopefully you can get your friend to run the tests soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

If your water is really that high of a PH use driftwood to get tannins in the water and that will help lower the PH. Most african cichlids like a high PH but I don't know about 9.2... you should really get a proper test send some of the water to your friend.

I use a PH adjuster at every water change and never a problem.

Take a good water sample to your LFS and get it fully tested also what type of test kit are you using and how old is it?

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Keith

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That is quite high. Even my well water which flows over limestone doesn't top 8.8 unless I were to not do water changes and top off with only well water. Most of the time it averaged around 8.4 but it depended on the season. Fish are much more adaptable than you think and I kept otos, congo tetras, threadfin rainbows, gouramis, panda and julii cory, black neon tetras, farlowella, and a few plecos in that water. The otos and congos even spawned several times but it rarely resulted in fry probably mostly due to the fact it was a community tank. Since I moved to an apartment and the water now has more undesireable things than just a high ph I'm using ro water instead but there is till 4 yoyos and an angelfish at my mom's house in that wellwater. I would definitely recheck that ph with a test kit that goes over 8.0 and possibly a more accurate one depending what you are using. The aquarium pharm high range ph kit was always accurate but does top out at 8.8 so I occasionally checked it with a tetra high range ph kit which went up to 10.0 but wasn't very detailed. It at least told me my ph wasn't reaching 9 so I knew the aquarium pharm one was accurate. If your relying on test strips instead of liquid or powder tests toss them and do it over. It's not accurate.

We're on city water, surprisingly.

Joe Potato, I never thought of that. I never bothered to treat for Cloramine before testing! I'm going to do that tonight and let it sit 24 hours before retesting.

I've taken it to three different fish stores, all of which used different tests. I started out with test strips a few years ago (Mardel and Jungle Labs), and now use Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. My mother is a geologist, and before I changed my major, it was in geology as well. We're just sitting here scratching our heads.

I don't know if this will help, but today I found a Seachem product at LFS called "Neutral Regulator". It adjusts high or low pH to 7.0 & keeps it there. It also removes chlorine, chloramine & ammonia. Directions say use 1 level teaspoon for every 10-20 gallons once or twice a month. Ideally, it should be used when doing water changes & makes other water conditioning unnecessary. I haven't used it yet, but like the idea that it keeps the water at pH 7.0 - whereas those pH up or pH down products are a bit of guess work until you get it right.

I know that doesn't answer your question, looking for small fish that like the high pH. I mention this in case you do decide to try an easier way to lower pH.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
TW

The seachem ph products do seem to work pretty well compared to other cheaper products like ph down. I have discus buffer although I don't have much use for it with ro water. They tend to be a bit complicated though and seachem usually recommends using 2 products to balance it out such as discus buffer with neutral regulator.