# PH and standing water question :)



## ShrimpieLove (Apr 26, 2010)

Hi everyone! 
So I dont have a test kit and I am still learing about water parameters etc... Usually i put water in a big bucket (used for water changes) and put water conditioner in it and let it sit for a day .... 
Sometimes the water sits for a day or two longer... Is this ok? I dont know if letting the water sit too long will cause the PH to fall or rise too much, if at all....if it makes the water hard or softer if it sits? Ive heard of letting it sit for a day or so to lessen the chlorine in the water...
Just curious if it makes any changes in the water , which in turn would affect the fish when I use it for a water change.


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## nicklfire (May 28, 2010)

Well it seems like your doing the right things... just in the wrong order  

You dont really need to put a conditioner in the bucket of water if your letting it sit for a day or two.

The water conditioners job is to remove the chlorine in the tap water, BUT if your leaving it in the bucket for a day anyways... it takes roughly 24 hours for chlorine to leave water after it comes out of the tap. 

I am not sure what the correct answer is regarding your... does the ph change if it's left out for a couple days, but i would think that the ph would not alter at all.. unless of course you put something IN the water to alter the ph.

What I usually do is just put some water in a bucket, leave it for a day, then add it to my aquarium for top up purposes. I dont add a water conditioner because after a day of sitting the chlorine is gone.

Just my 2 cents


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## Joeee (Apr 3, 2010)

I never knew that chlorine comes out of water. But I even if it does, I'd put conditioner in it to be safe. Does chloramine also come out of water?

As for aging water like that, I prefer to do it whenever possible, as during the summer I do not use a heater and it allows the water to become the two temperatures to be within a few degrees. Especially if your tank has a different pH than your tap water, say you have a cichlid tank and your pH is 8.1 or 8.2, then you'd want to put something in there that would change the pH like crushed coral or aragonite.

I haven't tested it myself as I immediately throw in an Indian Almond leaf for water changes.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

If your water sits for a day or two longer, it is fine. The pH of your water may slightly increase if you let it sit, as the dissolved CO2 will have time to off gas. However, this occurs within a matter of hours, not over a period of days. 2 day old sitting water compared with 3 day old sitting water will likely have the same pH.

The hardness of the water in the bucket will increase very slightly, due to the fact that water evaporates, while minerals remain behind.

Chlorine will off gas within approximately 24 hours, faster if you aerate the water in the bucket. However, Toronto Hydro frequently switches between chlorine and chloramine, and letting the water sit will not off gas the latter.


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## duckyser (Oct 4, 2009)

So you could add conditioner to tap water and immediately add it to your tank?


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## Harry Muscle (Mar 21, 2007)

duckyser said:


> So you could add conditioner to tap water and immediately add it to your tank?


As long as the temperature is pretty close to the tank so you don't shock the fish then it's perfectly fine to do that for most fish. Some very delicate fish might not like the extra CO2 introduced with fresh tap water and the slight pH swing that will cause.

Harry


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## duckyser (Oct 4, 2009)

i did not know that i always thought that conditioner had to been in tapwater for 24 hours....


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## Harry Muscle (Mar 21, 2007)

duckyser said:


> i did not know that i always thought that conditioner had to been in tapwater for 24 hours....


From a chemical point of view the reaction takes place very quickly (ie: seconds), you just have to make sure that there's good circulation so that the "conditioner" can come in contact with all the chorine/chloramine.

Harry


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## BettaBeats (Jan 14, 2010)

So, water conditioner removes chlorine and chloramine, while letting water sit just removes chlorine?


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

BettaBeats said:


> So, water conditioner removes chlorine and chloramine, while letting water sit just removes chlorine?


In short, it depends.

Some water conditioners only remove chlorine, while some remove both chlorine and chloramine. It is best to read the label carefully to find out what your water conditioner does.

Letting water sit will only offgas chlorine. This process is sped up by rapid agitation of the water.


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