Ph high and soft water

A pH of 8 is on the alkaline side. A couple of things to mention - make sure you let the water sit and degas and equilibrate for 24 hours before measuring the pH. If you measure straight out of the tap, it will give you a false reading. Secondly, make sure your pH indicator/probe is properly calibrated so you can be sure of your readings.

And yes, softer waters tend to be on the acidic side rather than the alkaline (basic) side.

Dawn,

I have the same issue. My water is around 2dkh and it is around 8ph when it comes out of the tap. One day later is at 7.0ph.

In my first tank, 10 gallon, the reading were Ph 9 and gh 0. It scared me and I posted a thread about it 11/07. I tested with Fresh Lab test kit.

Why is your pH high if your water is soft?

If the water has sodium bicarbonate, the pH can be high, but GH, which is a measure of the concentration of calcium and magnesium, can be zero. My tap water is like that. The KH (alkalinity) is 11 and the GH is 0.