PH Buffer

[oz]

Does PH buffer go bad or something? I want to dip a fish and can't get the ph in the RO water even close to the tank water.

I have tried a powder Kent PH buffer and the liquid ph buffer as well. PH probe in my tank water - 8.3. Take the probe out and put it in the dip water with ph buffer - 9.4 no matter how much buffer I put in the RO water.

Suggestion?

 

[mojo]

Why are you worried about the pH of your RO water? By definition, the water won't have a pH, or it'll be meaningless due to the lack of ions in the water. When you add in the amount of salt required to bring it to 1.026, you're adding in a trillion times more ions, and thus your pH will change.

My advice would be to ignore the pH of the RO water.

 

[oz]

Hey Mojo - I am planning on freshwater dipping a fish and need to bring the ph down and the match the temp of the tank. i guess there is no way to bring the ph down all the way to 8.3.

My RO water has a ph of around 10.3.

 

[george]

Oz;291186 wrote: I want to dip a fish and can't get the ph in the RO water even close to the tank water.

mojo;291556 wrote: My advice would be to ignore the pH of the RO water.

Mr. Mojo needs to read more carefully. :thumbs:

What kind of buffer are you using, Oz? It is possible for them to get contaminated, but as far as I know, if it's kept dry, it doesn't expire.

Are you adding it to the water or water to the buffer? You should always add to the water. It also may take a considerably greater amount than what you'd add to tank water for the same rise in pH.

 

[stickx911]

I always thought RO would have a lower PH...interesting

 

[george]

Oz;291576 wrote: My RO water has a ph of around 10.3.

That's not right. The pH should be fairly close to 7 depending on CO2 levels in the water. Something is wrong with your RO system. Does it not have a De-Ionizer as well?

 

[oz]

What kind of buffer are you using, Oz? It is possible for them to get contaminated, but as far as I know, if it's kept dry, it doesn't expire.

Are you adding it to the water or water to the buffer? You should always add to the water. It also may take a considerably greater amount than what you'd add to tank water for the same rise in pH.[/QUOTE]

Kent Marine liquid and a Kent powder buffer. both were just purchased.

I have RO in a bucket with a powerhead and a heater. Adding buffer to that. No matter how much buffer I add or how long I wait, it never goes below 9.4.

 

[oz]

George;291581 wrote: That's not right. The pH should be fairly close to 7 depending on CO2 levels in the water. Something is wrong with your RO system. Does it not have a De-Ionizer as well?

I will re-test it now - could be the probe if that's the case.

yes, 6 stage ro.

 

[mojo]

I've FW dipped several times - I match temperature but not RO. There's no point, since ion concentration will be so far mismatched - just a little salt would throw the whole thing off. In fact, throw a little salt if you'd like to see the numbers closer. I just don't think it necessary. If it is, then my clams and fish have come out just fine by accident...

 

[oz]

So here's the interesting results.....not sure what to make of it all:

Probe 1 AC3 w/ lab grade pinpoint
Probe 2 milwaukee handheld

Sump water
8.03 and 8.07 with flow

Tap water
8.88 and 9.4 moving
9.33 and 9.82 still

Brute of RO water
8.14 and 8.53 while moving the water
8.70 and 9.00 while water is still

Straight from RO
7.54 and 8.03 while moving the water
8.30 and 8.83 while water is still

Back into the calibration fluid 7
Probe 1 - 7.00
Probe 2 - 7.06

Back into the calibration fluid 10
Probe 1 - 9.94 (was 10.0 during initial calibration)
Probe 2 - 10.15 (was 10.0 during initial calibration)

 

[mojo]

Oz;291618 wrote: So here's the interesting results.....not sure what to make of it all:

Probe 1 AC3 w/ lab grade pinpoint
Probe 2 milwaukee handheld

Sump water
8.03 and 8.07 with flow

Tap water
8.88 and 9.4 moving
9.33 and 9.82 still

Brute of RO water
8.14 and 8.53 while moving the water
8.70 and 9.00 while water is still

Straight from RO
7.54 and 8.03 while moving the water
8.30 and 8.83 while water is still

Back into the calibration fluid 7
Probe 1 - 7.00
Probe 2 - 7.06

Back into the calibration fluid 10
Probe 1 - 9.94 (was 10.0 during initial calibration)
Probe 2 - 10.15 (was 10.0 during initial calibration)

Sounds like your second probe is a little off - keeps reading high. The other numbers look pretty consistent.

RO numbers being lower while moving makes sense. The water will pull in CO2 from the atmosphere, thus lowering the pH.

Add a couple cups of salt to your Brute container and see what happens. I'm betting that the pH will stabilize, but you'll still have fresh water for all intents and purposes...

 

[gaguy68]

why would you dip a saltwater fish in freshwater... i have never heard of this before ,being relatively new to the hobby.
alot of ya'll are waaayyy more elborate and sophisticated in your setups than i am LOL

 

[oz]

Do a google search on fresh water dip. Hope fully you'll never need to know how or why to do it.

 

[mojo]

gaguy68;291626 wrote: why would you dip a saltwater fish in freshwater... i have never heard of this before ,being relatively new to the hobby.
alot of ya'll are waaayyy more elborate and sophisticated in your setups than i am LOL

It's a more extreme form of dealing with a disease. Animals that live in saltwater cannot survive in a freshwater environment because of the osmotic pressure differences - the cells will literally explode from the influx of fresh water. The theory is that parasites (especially single-celled parasites) will be killed from a 5-15 minute freshwater dip because of this, but a fish, with billions of cells, will be stressed, but will most likely survive the ordeal.

It's not something I'd recommend without a lot of research and exploring all other options first. It's kind of a last resort method, and probably has a 20-50% success rate, depending on the disease and animal.