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L# Freshwater Aquaria
 L# Water Quality
  L# GH and KH
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SubscribeGH and KH
FishKeeperJim
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Big Fish
Member MTS Anonymous
Posts: 348
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Registered: 09-Jan-2007
male usa
Okay I didn't start testing for these until about a month ago. And my results are not looking good.

One tank hasd 18 GH another has 22 while KH is I havent got a clue how high. Tests tonight I stopped at 46 but it might be a one (I have a very hard time telling the reading that low as I can't make out the color.

I use the API Liquid Test kits.

Okay How do I lower and or raise the numbers for this so that the results are normal.

As far as fish go Bettas Platys Rainbowfish Corys CL's Danios

This is happening in all of my tanks and has me stumped.

If you need more info just ask. Thanks in advance guys.

mts.gif" border="0"> I vote do you?
My Tanks at Photobucket
Post InfoPosted 10-Oct-2007 04:54Profile Yahoo PM Edit Report 
sham
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Ultimate Fish Guru
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Registered: 21-Apr-2004
female usa
If the gh is high the kh probably is too. What's the ph? If that's high then definitely but doubtful you make it over 20dkh. That's really hard water. The test does get hard to read after around 16-18 degrees. I have to flip up my pc lights and hold it up to the 10,000k tube to tell when it changes after it gets beyond 18. Then I see spots and outlines of a test tube for the next 10mins. I don't do kh tests very often. Also always test your tapwater and compare so you know if something in the tank is effecting water parameters.

With those fish you do nothing unless you really want to. Majority of the fish you buy in stores will adapt to your water just fine so long as the ph is stable. Also most fish you buy locally have already been adjusted to your water because very few fish stores soften or harden their water for individual fish. They just use tapwater and that means if you want to alter your water parameters you will have to spend extra time acclimating locally bought fish. Lowering hardness and ph is also a real pain. Your best off just buying softer water like bottled or mixing in RO or distilled with your tapwater instead of trying to alter already hardwater. Unless your trying to breed certain fish or keeping wild caught fish hardwater is not usually enough of an issue for most people to go through the effort. You do have to watch if you order fish online though. Sometimes it takes alot of extra acclimation time including using bottled water in a tank for a few weeks if the fish have come from very soft acidic water.
Post InfoPosted 10-Oct-2007 05:28Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Carissa
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EditedEdited by Carissa
Most of the fish you have do better in hard water anyway. I have the opposite problem, 0 KH and GH.

I assume that your tap water tests the same as your tank water. If the tap water tests lower, you have one of two things going on -

1. You are replacing evaporated water with tap water rather than doing water changes. Not a good idea if you have hard water.
2. You have something in your tanks that is leaching minerals into the water (seashells, coral, certain types of rocks).
Post InfoPosted 11-Oct-2007 02:42Profile Homepage PM Edit Delete Report 
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