dKH very high

[krap101]

So, I tested our water a few days ago, and the dKH reading was 25. I bought another test kit and it arrived today and it was 23. This seems to be off the chart for most scales, so I was wondering whether this was an issue? The pH of the tap is 7.4-7.5 and I have a well and a water softener.

 

[Rivercats]

You have a water softner unit on your tap water and that is your dKh? Also do you know that a water softner unit replaces magnesium and calcium ions which plants and fish use with sodium ions which most fish and plants don't like?

 

[aqua_chem]

Water softeners will reduce GH, but not KH, so you really wouldn't expect it to go down. Ditto what RC said about replacing Ca/Mg with Na/K and it being worse for fish than the original ion.

Unless you have aspirations of breeding SA cichlids or somesuch, I wouldn't worry about it. If the only reason you suspect that you have a problem is that the test is off, then really you're fabricating a problem unnecessarily.

Also, check tap GH/KH as well. I always look for an in-tank reason for water to have that high of readings.

 

[krap101]

So I should have included this earlier, but I am dosing:

CSM+B
KNO3
KH2PO4
K2SO4
MgSO4

The dGH from the tap is 0-1, and 7 in the tank (probably from the MgSO4?)

The only water in the house that is unsoftened is the hose outside. I do have RO water available in the kitchen, but it only produces 5 gallons at a time (size of the tank). With either option I'd need to store and heat the water.

Thanks guys!

 

[aqua_chem]

So I should have included this earlier, but I am dosing: CSM+B KNO3 KH2PO4 K2SO4 MgSO4 The dGH from the tap is 0-1, and 7 in the tank (probably from the MgSO4?) The only water in the house that is unsoftened is the hose outside. I do have RO water available in the kitchen, but it only produces 5 gallons at a time (size of the tank). With either option I'd need to store and heat the water. Thanks guys!

It's possible that MgSO4 could be the cause, but you would have to be using a lot of it. It depends on how much you're dosing, but ultimately I would say that that's unlikely.

 

[krap101]

It's possible that MgSO4 could be the cause, but you would have to be using a lot of it. It depends on how much you're dosing, but ultimately I would say that that's unlikely.

So I've been following this schedule

Our PPS-Pro Fertilizer Pack … Just Mix & Dose | Planted Aquarium Blog – Green Leaf Aquariums

The tank is a 40B, and I've been dosing 4-5ml every morning, so ~.16g. I guess the reason this came up in the first place was that I was trying to calculate my target pH for my co2 controller, and needed my dKH.

I recently changed from aquasoil amazonia to floramax (the aquasoil was dissolving and making a mess). I have some stones as well that I believe to be granite.

 

[Rivercats]

I dose PPS-Pro but use 3 bottles. I mix nitrates in one, phosphate and potassium in one, and micro's in the 3rd. Since my tap water has a gh over 4 I don't add MgSO4, magnesium sulfate to the macro solution.

 

[krap101]

I remembered that we had some empty 55 gallon potable water drums sitting around, and I think I'm going to set one up for wc's so I won't have to dump water in the tank anymore and to take care of the KH and Na "problems". I have a magdrive sitting around, and am switching out the outlets around the tank with gfci's (which I should have done a long time ago).

Thanks!

 

[DanielAG]

So, I tested our water a few days ago, and the dKH reading was 25. I bought another test kit and it arrived today and it was 23. This seems to be off the chart for most scales, so I was wondering whether this was an issue? The pH of the tap is 7.4-7.5 and I have a well and a water softener.

Test your tap water to get a base reading. Then do like a 50% water change and test the aquarium water over the course of a week.....FWIW my kh was 9 pre-water change. After my water change it went to 3. Over the course of the week...as it turns out, the Fluval Stratum substrate I have in my 20 gal raises my kh...or dkh in terms of degrees. Its not necessarily a bad thing...it just helps my pH stay somewhat balanced. (As balanced as a CO2 injected planted tank can get.)