Need help to Raise KH and lower GH

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Q

quicklynx

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Apr 10, 2009
160
36
61
Maryland
Hey guys, I'm not sure if I posted this in the right section, but I'm having some issues with my parameters.

pH - above 7.0, a little under 7.5
KH - 3 dKH
GH - x>214.8ppm (API test kit only does up to 12 drops which is 214.8, and it took 13 drops)

Last week when I did the test my pH was a little above 7.0 pH, KH was 5-6 dKH, and GH took about 15-16 drops. 330ppm????

I figured my KH was low when I noticed my apple snail shells were turning gray and as if they were disintegrating.

My tap water is pretty hard. Within one week it has dropped a good amount. What could the causes be?

Here is my tank, 55 gallons
5 x Iridescent Sharks
4 x Pictus Catfish
4 x Cockatoo Apistos
1 x African Knifefish
1 x Common Pleco
2 X African Dwarf Frogs
3 x Apple Snails
1 x Freshwater Clam
Many plants (hornwort, bamboo, wisteria, anubias)

I'm guessing the plants help to lower the GH, but I wouldn't think they would use up the KH. Maybe the bamboo I can see.

I really am thinking that maybe the Clam has a lot to do with it. I know they are huge filters. Is he sucking all my calcium down?

As of right now I put a cuttlebone in the tank and set the snails on top of it. Hopefully they will eat some of it and come back for more.

I'm not really sure what levels of KH are good for my fish, but everyone seemed to do fine at 5-6dKH. I'd like to lower my GH down to about 179-196.9ppm or 10-11 drops.

I'm guessing I can use baking soda to help raise my KH, but what should I use to lower the magnesium levels? Any recommendations on how I should go about it?

Thanks
 
I think your water is fine. Those KH and GH levels are good for your average community tank. If you start messing with these sort of things you can end up giving yourself a headache, much increased work and having even PH that jumps all over and kills your fish.

I don't know much about snails etc but I am guessing if they have a problem it could be lack of calcium as you say.. but there should be some in your hard water. If you think it is getting used up then do more water changes.

If you really want to play I would add a small amount of crushed coral in a bag to your filter (this will add KH and GH but at a slow rate, not big changes like baking soda). I personally would get a calcium test first to see if there really is an issue, they use them in marine tanks and it a simple test like the ones you already use.
 
Tango,
Thanks for your reply. You brought up a good point that I didn't think of. I usually do a 25% water change 2 x a week, but I haven't done one for a little over a week now because of the massive snow we have been getting. It's not that I haven't been home, it's just that for some reason when we get snow, the water ends up really REALLY acidic. It's probably fine by now. I usually prepare and fill up tons of water jugs and buckets before the snow storms so I can water change with the pre-acidic water, however, I never got a chance as I kept getting stuck at work because I had to work other peoples shifts.

That is probably the issue.

I actually think I may use the crushed coral idea anyways. I may put a little but in a the corner of my tank. I've been meaning to get a nice substrate for my clam, because the gravel I have now is too large for him to dig into. Might look a little tacky, but as long as he is healthy.

I'll probably do a 50% water change today, and again in a few days. I'll grab some crushed coral before I go into work.
 
The API GH kit is one drop per degree of hardness - at least they are in the UK. So 15 drops means a GH of 15degrees, which is not very hard.
Snails are ok with any amount of KH. Youer snail shell problem sounds like a disease, and is not a hardness issue. Sodium bicarbonate will increase KH but it will also increase pH. Epsom Salt - in case you ever wanted to - will increase GH.

The KH falls in a tank because of the acid produced by the fish. BTW given that iridescent sharks grow over 4 feet, your tank is potentially ludicrously overstocked.
 
Thanks for the reply, blackghost. I did a 50% water change today. One of my snails is dead. Hopefully the other one will make it. The water change should increase my hardness, however, I haven't checked that or the pH yet since I just finished. I will see what they are in a little while. I'm expecting it on the acidic side because of the massive snow we've had. They are calling for 10-12 inches on Monday and Tuesday.

As for my Iridescents, I keep swapping them out. One of my IDs is 5 inches, the other is 4 inches, and then 3 are 2 inches. I just gave away 3 of my larger IDs on craigslist, about 8-10 inches each. Then when they are gone I go add small ones. I used to do the same with Columbian Catfish, but decided to go with the Pictus, as I love their color, and they won't outgrow my tank, or need salt water.

The API kit uses single digits for the Carbonate hardness, but uses parts per million for the General Hardness.
 
After I tested my pH, KH, and GH

pH - 7.0 from 7.5ish
KH - 5dKH from 3dKH
GH - 15 drops from 13 drops

Weird... typical after snow water making my pH drop, but wasn't expecting a KH GH increase with a pH decrease.

My tank temp is at 81-82 degrees. I added some iodized salt. Not too much.

I did go ahead and make my clam a nice substrate of black sand instead of crushed coral. He is definitely digging around a lot more now.

I forgot to mention I have driftwood in my tank as well. I read that it can also ake the water softer.
 
I dont know how snails react to iodine, but in general you shouldnt use iodised salt, as iodine is toxic to fish. Freshwater fish dont need salt, but if you do use it, use tonic salt or marine salt. Any salt for human use will probably have iodine in it.

Strange about the API GH kit. In the UK they are 1 drop per degree of hardness, same as the KH kits. I use them both.

You can up your pH with bicarb. I use it every few days in tanks with big fish, cos my water's soft and the fish drop the pH pretty quickly. If you have crushed coral/coral sand/etc in the tank it will dissolve carbonates to counteract the pH drop, but it is slow, and big fish will drop the pH too quickly for it. Easiest way would be not to bother about hardness and just use bicarb. It's strong stuff. A teaspoon in your tank would probably raise it from 7 to about 7.3
 
quicklynx;3881796; said:
Tango,
Thanks for your reply. You brought up a good point that I didn't think of. I usually do a 25% water change 2 x a week, but I haven't done one for a little over a week now because of the massive snow we have been getting. It's not that I haven't been home, it's just that for some reason when we get snow, the water ends up really REALLY acidic. It's probably fine by now. I usually prepare and fill up tons of water jugs and buckets before the snow storms so I can water change with the pre-acidic water, however, I never got a chance as I kept getting stuck at work because I had to work other peoples shifts.

That is probably the issue.

I actually think I may use the crushed coral idea anyways. I may put a little but in a the corner of my tank. I've been meaning to get a nice substrate for my clam, because the gravel I have now is too large for him to dig into. Might look a little tacky, but as long as he is healthy.

I'll probably do a 50% water change today, and again in a few days. I'll grab some crushed coral before I go into work.
Click to expand...

I don't trust tap water... there is too much here that can go wrong and kill your fishies. This is why I now use a Reverse Osmosis water filter and re mineralise to how I want it. I have it all set up to a large barrell that is heated and airated, so there is always pure water at the right temp ready when I need it.
 
Well you need to get a RO filter unit. A water butt (eg Rubber maid I think people use in the USA). A heater and some kind of airation (airstone etc). You then hook the filter to the water butt and get a float valve and a pressure shut off switch so when the butt is full it shuts it off.

It is not hard to do, but it isn't cheap to set up. It also wastes a lot of water eg 4 parts waste water to 1 part pure water.
Then you need to get some kind of TDS (total dissolved solids) meter to keep a track of how much GH you are putting back in the water... oh and the cost of the mineral salt you use to add the GH itself. You may also need to put a small bag of crushed coral in the filter for KH so your PH is stable. You will also need to do regualr PH tests just to make sure things are OK.

I swear by it now.. and never worry about my tap water (it really can be 99% pure). Just make sure you really do need it before you go to all the fuss.

Kent marine do a lot of this, as you need it for marine tanks. They also sell the stuff you need for fresh water setups. eg RO right mineral salts
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom