how to harden soft water

[electrikat]

My tap water is well water and I want to get the hardness up some. The ph is high enough but the hardness is "soft" . Is there an additive that will raise it?

 

[evercl92]

What is the current pH?
Limestone will increase hardness, as will crushed coral. I assume this is for the malawia tank? You should feel lucky to have soft water, out of the tap, my GH is 15.

 

[kay-bee19]

Plain epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) will raise general hardness (GH).

 

[maxwell1295]

Also, you can use baking soda to raise your KH (carbonate hardness). Keep in mind that it will also raise your pH.

 

[toddnbecka]

Baking soda will raise pH to 8.2, but that's the highest it will go. Adding more will increase the KH, which buffers the pH. Epsom salt will raise GH, but won't buffer the pH.

 

[Voodoo Chilli]

What is the level of your tap water? Any particular reason for raising it?

 

[Guest]

I am a big advocate of crushed coral. it has really stabilized my tanks. (i had KH of zero)

 

[DeFeKt]

epsom salts and baking soda are a quick fix only and may cause more damage then good due to unnessicary stress.
limestone or crushed coral is your best bet.

 

[toddnbecka]

Limestone or crushed coral won't do anything for the fresh water used for partial changes. I use baking soda and epsom salt to maintain consistent water chemistry, adding it to the buckets of water before putting them into the tank. Otherwise, you will be adding softer, lower pH water to the existing tank water, which will take time to stabilize again.

 

[DeFeKt]

No one mentioned until now that they mix the baking soda and salts in before a waterchange. This gives the impression that it is OK to mix it in while the fish are in there.

Couple of questions to ponder:
1,Does rain have the same parameters as the waterbody it is falling into and around? or is it mixed before hand?

2,Have you ever had to raise your soft water to hard water with fish in it or did you start with hard water? If so how did you raise it?

3,How much easier and steadier would it be to just drop some cc or rocks into your tank or filter as opposed with the method you are more then likely going to give for Question #2b?

 

[toddnbecka]

Coral or limestone will gradually raise pH and hardness, but only to around 7.6. Rainwater is essentially distilled water, pH of 7.0, 0 hardness. However, rainfall doesn't replace any significant volume of water in a few seconds like a partial water change does. My tap water is 7.4, my tanks are 8.2 or higher. You can add baking soda and epsom salt to an existing tank, just use small amounts daily. I add 2 Tsp baking soda and 1 Tbsp epsom salt to a 5 gallon bucket of water to maintain consistent levels with water changes.
How much to use to alter an established tank depends on the volume of water.

 

[sherry]

I say keep the water soft and raise south american dwarfs

 

[7Enigma]

No one mentioned until now that they mix the baking soda and salts in before a waterchange. This gives the impression that it is OK to mix it in while the fish are in there.

Couple of questions to ponder:
1,Does rain have the same parameters as the waterbody it is falling into and around? or is it mixed before hand?

2,Have you ever had to raise your soft water to hard water with fish in it or did you start with hard water? If so how did you raise it?

3,How much easier and steadier would it be to just drop some cc or rocks into your tank or filter as opposed with the method you are more then likely going to give for Question #2b?

1. Rain water does not have the same waterbody it is falling into, however, we do not know how fish behave during a rainstorm. Do they sit near the bottom so they slowly adjust to changes in water? More importantly I doubt 25-50% water changes are common in a natural environment. 10% water changes are probably even pushing it!

2. Yes. I have a FW (non cichlid) 20gallon that I wanted to use CO2 but the KH of my tap water is about 2 degrees. The answer with most things involving living entities is SLOWLY. Over a weeks time I increased the KH of my tank from ~2 to ~5 degrees KH with no noticeable affect on the fish and no deaths.

3. Much less steady. CC and limestone are unknowns when it comes to how much hardness is added, and will most likely change as the stones age/breakdown. Baking soda and magnesium sulfate are exact measurements. I add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to each 5 gallon water change (I don't have GH problems so don't dose magnesium), and my tank water is always within 1 degree regardless of when I test it.

I feel while not "natural" in the sense of adding a whole object into a tank, it is much more consistent.

 

[DeFeKt]

8O

dang near forgot it's a perfectly even envirnment out there

:butt:


:?

 

[7Enigma]

Large water environments are more consistent then small ones.

Mass die off occurs all the time in the wild from environmental factors. Hurricane, volcano, mudslides, detrius contaminating the water table, draught, manmade pollution, etc.

Mother nature plays no favorites.

As a hobbyist, I realize that I cannot hope to recreate exactly the natural habitat of the species I'm keeping as "pets". But I also realize that I might not want to...