Tropical Fish Forums

[stephenhodgson]

How do you raise and lower the GH and KH?
What are they ?

thanks stephen
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S.HODGSON

[haname]

First read this article, then post your water parameters and the fish that you have.

If you really want to control your water, you can get a RO unit or buy RO water, then reconstitute to achieve exactly the parameters you want.
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Happy fishkeeping!

~Haname

[elinka]

Hello! I plan to have tetras in my 46g aquarium, but I learned that tetras prefer soft water. The water in my area is hard (not sure what the exact pH is though) Therefore, how do I properly acclimate a fish that prefers soft water into hard water?

[Steve Hampton]

pH isn't a true indicator of whether water is hard or soft. GH or General Hardness is the indicator of whether water is hard or soft. It is common for water with a high pH to be hard, but yet it's possible to have soft water with a high pH too. You can either buy three test kits, pH, GH, and KH and test your water yourself...or you can have your Local Fish Store test a sample of your water for you...or you can obtain a water report from your local water utility unless you have well water. Anyway, the point is that in order to advise you properly we need to know what your pH, GH, and KH are...for most fish they will adapt quickly to water that is outside their "ideal" pH and water hardness parameters...what is more important is to provide clean water that has stable conditions and parameters.

[RevLeonidas]

hello all,

We have a 10-gallon planted freshwater tank with one dwarf neon gourami, and a few pond snails (the ones d. gourami hasn't eaten yet). The pH is ~7.3. I'd like to stabilize the pH to 6.8, and I want proper water hardness to provide a healthy environment for a couple of amano shrimp that we plan to add to our tank in the near future.

We have low alkaline water that comes out of the tap (<40 ppm), so the buffering capacity ain't all that good. A dude at a LFS suggests that I place some peat-moss in our filter (lower the pH), and add some crushed coral to increase hardness and modify the buffering capacity.

How much crushed coral per gallon do I need to add to raise hardness by 1 ppm, 10 ppm, ?? ppm?

How large a piece (slice?) of peat moss do I need to put in my filter?

Is it a good idea to supplement our aquatic environment with peat moss and crushed coral?

May your fishes be healthy and happy,
Rev. Leonidas

[number6]

Crushed coral will add calcium to harden e water, but also raise the pH.
You probably want to buy a non-carbonate source of calcium if you want acidic and hard water. HTH
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"Just don't look in my fish room honey... it's just better for all of us. "

[Steve Hampton]

My choice would be calcium chloride. Calcium Chloride is available online and at most swimming pool supply stores.

[Darkblade48]

You can also get calcium chloride as a de-icing agent, though it's more of a seasonal item, especially when it's summer in the northern hemisphere

[Pete Harcoff]

I know that KH affects buffering capacity of the water, and therefore the pH, but what about GH.

My tap water is extremely soft (GH and KH of only 40ppm), but in my tank the levels are a lot higher. My KH is about 80ppm (still a little low, but not bad), but my GH is a lot higher at 240ppm.

I'm guessing minerals from the rocks and gravel have dissolved into the water.

Would fish like Angelfish, Gouramis, and Plecos be okay in water with a GH that high? I know Discus like really soft water, but I'm not sure about all the other fish.

[number6]

calcium and magnesium (GH) can affect fish in a few ways. A couple of important ways are:
1. fish adapted to hard water absorb these minerals from the water column to help build and run their bodies.
2. egg membranes harden due to calcium in the water column. Failure of the eggs to toughen up can be pollution killing the developing fry. Too hard of water for a species and the eggs can harden prior to fertilization.

Are you sure the hardness in he tank is that high? Is this from evaporation? shells or coral? rocks?
Something is adding to the GH...
good news, if you aren't breeding your fish, it is mostly harmless to the average aquarium raised stock. If the fish you listed are tank raised stock or unknown from a LFS, then they should be fine.

HTH
_________________
"Just don't look in my fish room honey... it's just better for all of us. "