Planted tank enthusiast that do dry fertilizers have a mix they dose that has calcium, magnesium, Potassium, etc. We call it GH booster. Ive got a friend that sells dry ferts and sells the GH booster if you ever need some.
Can I Get Your Opinion?
- Thread starter lighthouse39183
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BTW your GH measures lower to low and your KH is medium to medium high. Your waters PH shouldnt change very easily. But your waters fairly soft. The fish your keeping will actually prefer the softer water. If you had African Cichlids then they want hard hard water with higher PH and mineral values.
And that's why it's so confusing. The tap water has a GH of 0-1, KH of 13 and PH at 8. The KH is what buffers the water and prevents the PH shifts. My PH stays 8.0 constantly. The profiles that I have researched say that the Tetra and Tiger Barbs prefer a GH of around 10 and the severums and Bala Shark prefer a GH of around 5 to 10 in general. But the more you research, you find that those numbers seem to be someones opinion and not fact. With my tap water being so low there just doesn't seem to be enough minerals for them. Even if I went with discus, my PH is too high for them and with a KH of 13 it will be near impossible to alter that and keep it safe. I tried the link above for the GH Booster and I don't think that's what I need. LOL Unless someone thinks I need a wrinkle cream. I appreciate all the advice. I could try the lime and bicarb but I really was hoping that there was an additive that would be more accurate in raising it to a certain level. Thanks again everyone.
I found some Seachem Replenish online where I order all supplies. They currently have it on back order. I think this will be what I try. I think Seachem is a reliable brand. Now I just need to figure out how slowly to raise the GH. This is going to effect my water changes also. Instead of adding tap water with my Python, I will need to adjust the GH before adding it to the tank. Guess I need to get some buckets so that I can measure the proper amounts. Or maybe gallon jugs.
I found some Seachem Replenish online where I order all supplies. They currently have it on back order. I think this will be what I try. I think Seachem is a reliable brand. Now I just need to figure out how slowly to raise the GH. This is going to effect my water changes also. Instead of adding tap water with my Python, I will need to adjust the GH before adding it to the tank. Guess I need to get some buckets so that I can measure the proper amounts. Or maybe gallon jugs.
I think your putting way to much into this and over thinking it.
First. If your gh Is low but kh is high and a ph of around 8. Most likely your water supply is having the kh and ph boosted by the water supplier. This is a very common thing for a lot of water companies to do.
My wife and I have bala's and they run in a ph from 7.4 to 8.0. The kh is around 5 and gh is over 10. No issues. Unless your dealing with wild caught fish. Chances are your fish won't be effected by the higher ph and lower gh.
I'd say let it be. Just monitor how they do for 2 or 3 months. To many times people rush to start dumping stuff into their water.
Even if you do need to. You don't necessarily need to premix it. Just add it to the tank as you fill it.
There are several other products that are just as good and less money that can help your gh.
But for now I'd leave it alone and see how they do. I bet they will be fine and then some.
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Well they've been doing fine, most of them. I just didn't know if the low GH would cause an osmotic problem and in the long run cause health issues. My Bala is 14" and doesn't appear to have any issues. I just didn't want to be robbing them of the minerals they really need. Certain fish, such as Gourami, don't survive very long in this water. I've tried Angel Fish and they didn't make it either. Ammonia is 0, nitrites 0, and nitrates are always 5 or less. I do frequent water changes and have good filtration and aeration in the tanks. I guess I'll think about it all and weigh the benefits vs the cost and effort.
I use aragonite to buffer my peat filtered tank. I kept having filtration crashes until I managed to get enough buffer in the tank. With the peat filtration, my hardness was super low like yours and the tank would get very acidic.
Since adding the buffer, I've had no issues.
Moved to setup/filtration.
Since adding the buffer, I've had no issues.
Moved to setup/filtration.
Thank you. I had read that you should let the tap water sit for an hour to test for proper PH. I'm going to try this and check all parameters again on the tap water, as well as my tanks. I'll monitor the tanks and tap water to note changes several times each week. This should give me a better idea of any shifts in PH and etc. I've never had a problem with the PH shifting. In the mean time, I wil get aragonite to add in my filters. Thanks again.
Thank you. I had read that you should let the tap water sit for an hour to test for proper PH. I'm going to try this and check all parameters again on the tap water, as well as my tanks. I'll monitor the tanks and tap water to note changes several times each week. This should give me a better idea of any shifts in PH and etc. I've never had a problem with the PH shifting. In the mean time, I wil get aragonite to add in my filters. Thanks again.
If you are going to test the tap water, test it immediately after it pours and then again in 24 hours. So long as the pH doesn't swing more than 0.5 in a 24 hour period, you should be fine to add tap water straight to the tank(s).
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You could mix some crushed coral into your substrate. This will affect your ph tho.
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