Gh level

[mad dog fish]

I noticed my fish weren't as active as they usually are so I just checked the ph and the gh. The ph was sitting right on 7 and the gh was on 220. My local aquarium supply shop said that for the fish I have it needed to be at about 200. Do I need to lower it and if so, how? I'm planning on doing a water change tomorrow.


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[Coyne]

The difference between 200ppm and 220ppm isn't much. Unless you're keeping some breed of ultra sensitive fish, then I seriously doubt that 1 dGH is having any impact on your fish. Sounds like you were talking to somebody that almost knew what they were talking about.

General Hardness refers to the level of mineral content your tap water has. Short of using distilled or RO water, which has physically removed these minerals, there's not much you can do to lower your water's GH.

You can keep the GH from raising too high inside the aquarium by actually removing old water and adding new water when you do water changes. Some people mistakenly think its ok to just replace evaporated water. In addition to not removing nitrates, this practice also just adds more mineral content on top of the minerals that were left behind when the water evaporated.

 

[ppo8820]

Fish today can adjust to almost all types of tap water if you use a good dechlorinator like Prime. PH, GH, and Alkalinity is very overrated. All you need to watch out for is ammonia, nitrite, and to keep your Nitrates on the lower end of the spectrum. Messing with the other water parameters usually does more damage than it helps and is a pain in the rear.

 

[PNWaquarist]

Fish today can adjust to almost all types of tap water if you use a good dechlorinator like Prime. PH, GH, and Alkalinity is very overrated. All you need to watch out for is ammonia, nitrite, and to keep your Nitrates on the lower end of the spectrum. Messing with the other water parameters usually does more damage than it helps and is a pain in the rear.

They can adjust to different pH/GH levels *if* they're raised in those conditions. If not, you're going to have problems. And even fish bred and raised in "different" water parameters have their limits.

There are a number of places, such as where I live, where low KH is a problem and tank water needs an occasional dose of bicarbonate to avoid pH crashes.


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[Coyne]

Agreed.. somewhat.
The idea that all fish can adapt to all water conditions is a broad overstatement. Its something that is told to novice fish keepers because playing around with the water chemistry, when you don't really know what you're doing, is likely going to cause more harm than the original water parameters.
I do believe that most fish in the hobby can adjust and survive in most levels of pH, KH and GH, but there is a difference between surviving and thriving. When you're at the extreme ends of the spectrum, like PNW and I are, some tweaking and adjusting isn't out of the question. This is especially true if you're trying to breed as a lot of fish will not spawn unless specific water needs are met.

But back to the original post...
In doing the math, the difference between a GH of 200 and 220 ppm is just a little over 1 dGH. IMO, lowing the GH by 1 degree isn't worth the hassle involved. Sometimes fish just sort of calm down as they get older. My Serpae Tetras used to swim around in a tight school and play in the filter's current. Now they all just sort of hang out in a very loose school and only really get active at feeding time.

 

[dalto]

Agreed.. somewhat.
The idea that all fish can adapt to all water conditions is a broad overstatement. Its something that is told to novice fish keepers because playing around with the water chemistry, when you don't really know what you're doing, is likely going to cause more harm than the original water parameters.
I do believe that most fish in the hobby can adjust and survive in most levels of pH, KH and GH, but there is a difference between surviving and thriving. When you're at the extreme ends of the spectrum, like PNW and I are, some tweaking and adjusting isn't out of the question. This is especially true if you're trying to breed as a lot of fish will not spawn unless specific water needs are met.

+1

But back to the original post...
In doing the math, the difference between a GH of 200 and 220 ppm is just a little over 1 dGH. IMO, lowing the GH by 1 degree isn't worth the hassle involved.

Agreed, the difference between 200ppm and 220ppm is negligible. Variations larger than this regularly occur in the natural habitats of many freshwater fishes.

That being said, what kind of fish do you have and what is your current reading for nitrates? Also, how long has the tank been setup?

 

[mad dog fish]

I have rainbow fish, serpae tetras, neon tetras, mollies, a cat fish and various danios. I did a water change yesterday and the gh is still at 220. The ph is right on 7.


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[mad dog fish]

The tank has been set up for 3 months. I let it sit for a few weeks before adding the danios and have gradually added the other fish.


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[dalto]

What are your nitrate levels?

 

[Coyne]

I did a water change yesterday and the gh is still at 220.

Your GH is should not change much, if at all, when you do a water change. The minerals in water you use are what is being represented by the GH reading. Whatever minerals that are being removed when you take water out of your tank are being replaced when you put new water back into the tank.

If you really feel that your fishes' behavior is a symptom of a larger problem, then I would recommend moving on and looking at something besides your GH. You got some bad advice from a well meaning but ultimately uninformed pet store employee. It happens to everybody. The trick is learning from it (and knowing not to ask that particular person questions anymore).

 

[mad dog fish]

The fish all seem much more active now. Particularly when I go near the tank.


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