Can I use Volvic bottled water in my tank?

[iamzod]

Ok, this might be a stupid question but i'm relatively new to fish keeping.

I have a 250L tank which is planted & the PH is creeping up over time, it's in the low 8 range now and my KH reading is coming out anywhere from 13 - 15dH.

I've looked at my water suppliers page & the water tests done on our supply for hardness & PH is coming out at -

• Hardness English - 18.77
• Hardness French - 26.82
• Hardness German - 15.02
• PH - 7.78 to 7.96
• Nitrate - 32.24 (it looks like a 50 to me)
• Sodium - 22.4
• Sulphates - 58

I want to soften it a bit & have some peat pellets on order, in the meantime however i've noticed Volvic has way lower hardness & PH than my tap, would it be safe to start cutting it with my water changes, say like 10 - 20% bottled to get dilute my hard water a bit?

Volvic is coming out as below -

• Hardness English - 4.40
• Hardness French - 6.28
• Hardness German - 3.52
• PH - 7.0
• Nitrate - 7.3
• Sodium - 12
• Sulphates - 9

Any ideas, i'm reading mixed things?

 

[zozo]

I remember this story

In 1977, Amano made a breakthrough in the world of aquarium plant keeping: carbon dioxide injection. He experimented with carbonated water after noticing, while out drinking in a bar, bubbles in carbonated drinks.


When he added carbonated water to his tanks, he found that the bubbles appeared here too. What had Amano discovered? The reason that plants grew better in older tanks was that the set-ups were producing carbon dioxide, which the plants required for the photosynthesis process!


Aquarium planting would never be the same again; his breakthrough lead to the injection of carbon dioxide into planted tanks. Following his discovery, Takashi Amano spent the next 15 years refining his aquascaping.

But never found any specifications about how much he added nor any parameters of the carbonated water. A hunch - Japan - kinda sounds rather Volvic to me too...

But for the rest I'm not really helpful, I guess... I actually don't know.

 

[iamzod]

I remember this story


But never found any specifications about how much he added nor any parameters of the carbonated water. A hunch - Japan - kinda sounds rather Volvic to me too...

But for the rest I'm not really helpful, I guess... I actually don't know.

I wouldn't be adding carbonated lol. Or at least I wasn't going to unless someone tells me it's a good idea, I just want to stop my PH gradually climbing without having to do massive water changes and soften it up somewhat.

Whilst there is no measurement for Calcium & Magnesium on the supplier page, it can't be low, you should see what state our appliances end up in after a few years.

 

[Toby C]

Cutting 10-20% of your water change is a lot of water (in the region of 10L) on a weekly basis.

Your water isnt super hard, I think it’d probably be better stocking with plants / fish that are happy in harder water, than adding bottled.

 

[G H Nelson]

I wouldn't worry too much about pH.

 

[lazybones51]

What is the reason for chasing a specific PH?

You would be better off starting with RO water and adjusting it to your specific needs than buying bottled water.

 

[G H Nelson]

My water pH is 7.6.....Stable Co2 is more important if you want to grow certain plants that require 30ppm Co2!
There are various plants I cant grow without aquatic planting substrate like Tropica or Colombo Flora Base....or without dosing Co2!
I just stay clear of them....one is Blyxa japonica!
hoggie

 

[iamzod]

What is the reason for chasing a specific PH?

You would be better off starting with RO water and adjusting it to your specific needs than buying bottled water.

It's more a case of I want to keep it under 8, I have a Green Phantom Pleco & as far as i'm aware they don't like it that high. I have thought about getting a source of RO water, not only would it help here but our water is awful even for washing a car in, if you don't spend 30 mins drying it you end up with white deposits allover the car that have to be machine polished off to get rid of them.

My other worry is where will it stop?, I have a 10L tank that I left some tap water in for some time without changing it & it seemed to want to settle beyond 8.5.

I'm not chasing super low PH, just want to keep it reasonable without massive water changes.

 

[G H Nelson]

There are various Spotless Water Depots cropped up over the last few years...it might be cheaper to source some RO water from those companies!
Than spending money on bottled water!

Self-Service Ultra Pure Water Network | Spotless Water

We are the UK’s leading 24 hour self-service ultra-pure water network providing a solution for many different industries.

www.spotlesswater.co.uk

hoggie

 

[MichaelJ]

@iamzod chasing a specific pH is a rabbit hole and hard to do at high KH due to the buffering capacity... but IF you really want to knock down the pH a bit in a cost effective way, you first need to get an RO system (a smaller one will suffice for a 250L tank). Mixing in say 60% of RO water with your regular (tap) water. That would bring your KH down to the 5-6 range (based on the info provided above) making the water easier to acidify. Then add some driftwood, almond- or similar acidifying leaves and peat moss to your filtration and wait... Don't add any of those alluring pH regulating chemicals that promises fame, fortune and glory - you will end up with an acid addiction... I am a recovering pH regulator addict myself.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,
I agree with @MichaelJ. You could write the amount of sensible comment I've read about <"pH stability"> on the back of a post-it and still have room to write your shopping list.

I'm not chasing super low PH, just want to keep it reasonable without massive water changes.

I've been a <"rain-water user since the 1970s"> and I would recommend it as a very cheap and plentiful source of soft water.

cheers Darrel

 

[iamzod]

Well, my peat arrived quite a bit earlier than advertised so i'm going to add that to the filter to start with. RO systems don't look too pricey and the water may have additional uses so it might be the way to go.

Thanks guys!