Big problem
Matt,
Are you using a surface well, or a drilled well. It would be more likely that the brook provides some water to a surface well, but not a drilled well. Even so, much of the water from either source would come from an underground aquifer, which may not have as much to do with the brook as you might think, unless the water is directed to the surface well from the brook. Also, if it is a surface well, it is likely that you can get to the well and pull some water out for testing. If it is a drilled well, there should be a tap somewhere near the pump that you can draw some water off for testing.
Since you have PVC pipe coming to the house, you can be pretty sure it is rated for potable water and will be pretty much neutral with its interaction with water–not add or subtract anything. If the copper piping is truly aged, even if it really is not 200 years old, the water has deposited enough mineral to coat the inside of the pipe, so the water will not be interacting with the copper at all. If it ever needs to be repaired, and new pipe is used for the repair, even 200 year old pipe can spring a leak, it will likely be a judgment call whether you need to run the water a while before using it in the tank.
The pH change through the seasons sounds right. The water, if it is iced over, will have a higher CO2 content, thus dropping the pH. Pretty simple water chemistry, he says assuredly to someone who does not seem know much . It is a fascinating subject, and I wish I had time to study it some more. If you have had high school chemistry, and passed, I can recommend a book to you that covers the topic pretty well for aquarists, though I did find some of the chemical equations a bit tough to get through. (I do have an ace in the hole, though, my brother-in-law is an organic chemist.)
As for your fish, tetras may be the most on the edge of your pH, depending on which kind of tetras you have. Guppies come from waters with a high pH, so they should get in the groove quite well. The pleco could have come from a river with a higher pH, different species are found in different kinds of water. All in all, you probably made a fairly good selection of your fish for the kind of water you have.
Everyone else, often known collectively as “they” of “them”, might want to do a bit of research before they wind up in a similar quandary as you recently found yourself. As Ray or Lenny mentioned, there are a number of good books out there that you might want to add to your library (I really need to get another bookshelf, I’m getting tired of all those fish books on the floor in front of the current bookcase). Also, keep in mind that there are aquarium fish out there, notably rift lake cichlids, that prefer a pH higher than what you get naturally.
That was a pretty quick switch around for you water. Did it happen spontaneously, or did you just do a massive water change?
Raising the water temperature should help with the curing of the ich infection. If the water changes are called for by your ich cure of choice, by all means continue, otherwise, just go back to your normal schedule of water changes. You’ll spoil the fish and they’ll go on strike for more frequent water changes if you keep it up too long .
The airstone will not help to lower pH, and neither will oxygen. Use of CO2 will lower pH and most metering solutions for CO2 control will use pH as a measurement when to add more or to lessen the flow. However, don’t let that stop you, if you like the effect. You might want to write the author through the publisher to ask exactly how he expects O2 to lower pH. You might want to post the title and author of the book, though it is not likely any of us “old-timers” would know the person, with an idea like that.
\Steve//
Category: Philippines Internet Koi Society
