Water Hardness info please

[shadylady23]

My API test kit does not include any hardness tests. I have no idea what my levels are at, however I think I need to adjust it. My ph dropped from 7.2 to 7.0 in two days. Now correct me if I'm wrong but I believe I need to increase my hardness (maybe KH?) to prevent this type of swing. I do not understand the difference between GH and KH, so I don't know if I should monitor both, or if one is more important over the other. What's the best way to increase this without harming anything? Please help me, I don't want things to get bad in my tank. My current numbers are: Ph 7.0, 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites, 10 Nitrates. I have 4 guppies, 4 platies, 6 corycats, 2 honey gouramis, and 2 baby comet goldfish. I would like to keep my ph stable at 7.2, (unless that's not a good number, I keep finding contradicting numbers online based on my fish)

I will be getting a kit, however I think I have to order one online. In the meantime, what should I do?

Thanks in advance for any info!!!

 

[Fishguy2727]

Get a KH test kit. KH controls pH. Use baking soda to increase KH/pH. Track all testing, supplementation, and water changes in a computer program like Excel.

 

[shadylady23]

Do you happen to know the proper amount to put in if I want to raise my ph by 0.2? What's a good KH reading to keep it at 7.2? Thank you so much for the quick reply!! I think I'm gonna call around and try to find a KH test kit before ordering online, that way I won't have to wait.

 

[shadylady23]

Also, how quickly can I raise it that's safe for the fish? Is raising my ph by .2 going to freak them out? To me, I wouldn't think so, but I'm still a newb.

 

[mudraker]

Gh is general hardness, kh is the carbon hardness.

Unless you are trying to do a med. to high light planted tank, the gh and kh don't matter much to your water parameters or your fish.

However, a stable ph is very important. All your fish have different ideal ph levels in the water but will adjust to whatever the ph of your tap water or regular water source is. This means a stable ph is much more important to fish health than trying to maintain whatever you think the ideal ph range should be.

So you need to find the cause of the ph swing. That means you need to answer a lot of questions, which I apologize for, but it's neccissary.

Are you using any water additives besides one to dechorlinate the water? Have you switched brands lately? Added a new conditioner?

Have you added anything new to the tank lately, such as driftwood? Co2 or plant fertilizers?

How often do you do water changes?

Have you changed water sources? Has the ph from your water source dropped also? Test the ph of your water source against that of your aquarium water.

I'd start by testing the ph of your water source and match it against your aquarium water.

Don't panic, and you'll get to the root of the problem.

 

[shadylady23]

I add Aquasafe when doing water changes. Nothing has changed chemical wise. These fish were added on Sunday. But I had big fish in it for years, so I know it's cycled, but I have been monitoring because of the different load and I don't know how quickly my nitrates are gonna rise. I did add a coconut cave last night, but I didn't test the ph yesterday, so I don't know if that made a difference. The tank was cleaned on Sunday and measured 7.2. (didn't test faucet at that time) Now the tank is 7.0. I just tested the water out of the faucet on cold (don't know if it matters) and it appears as though it's 7.8. So it does appear that I need to do something. When my big fish were in there, my ph was always low ( like 6.2-6.6) But to be honest I didn't really track it then much either. But that's why I couldn't keep my mollies or any other fish I tried. So out with the old and in with the new! lol. I will be changing the water probably this sunday depending upon where my nitrates are. Maybe sooner, they came up 5 in 24 hours, so we'll see. Thank you so much for your help~!

 

[mudraker]

I'll bet you the coconut shell contains tannins that are leaching into the water, same as driftwood will do if it isn't seasoned first. Tannins are acidic and will lower your ph.

You may need to boil and then leach the shell for a few weeks before you can put it in the tank without the ph problem.

What kind of test kit are you using, by the way?

Adding baking soda or other ph buffers can make your ph yoyo and the results are always temporary, which is very bad for your fish.

 

[shadylady23]

I boiled it until the water was basically clear. About an hour. Maybe not long enough? But it seems like my ph always drops even though it comes out so much higher. I called one of the LFS's in the area and they have a GH/KH drop test by Nutrafin for 17.99. Do you know if this is a good test?

My current test kit for everything else is API drop test.

 

[shadylady23]

Oh my gosh, now to top it all off. I'm now noticing white spots on two of my Platys. It looks consistant with Ich. GRRR! I guess first things first.....I better take care of this now before it gets bad.

 

[mudraker]

This is a very good advice here.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f17/if-you-think-your-fish-have-ich-38796.html

 

[mudraker]

And take the coconut out of there while you are at it. Soak it in hot water while you work on your new problem

 

[shadylady23]

Thank you. I took out one fish that looks really bad, he didn't have any spots but he just didn't look good. (maybe its in his gills)

I don't really know how much to add all at once. I don't have a hydrometer, so I can't tell how much I'm raising it. I just added 5 rounded tablespoons for my 55 gallon. Do you think that's okay till tomorrow till I get my hydrometer? Or should I go ahead and add more right away? I also need another heater cause mine is already maxed on high and it only gets to 76.

 

[shadylady23]

Any good brands I should try to get for a new heater? I want one with a thermostat as well. Again, it's 55 gallon I'm trying to heat to 86 degrees

 

[mudraker]

If you can afford to get a heater and hydrometer, great.

I've never used a hydrometer, but use the 2 tablespoons per five gallon rule, though I do know using a hydrometer is best.

Only, when treating ich, I add only a tablespoon of salt every twelve hours so as not to stress the fish any more than they already are.

For inexpensive brands, I like the marineland visi-therms. You can set the thermostat to the desired temp instead of having to wait for your thermometer to tell you what it is.

For your 55, it would probably be best to buy two 100 watt units rather than a 200, which is rated for a 55 gallon. If you have two small ones, you won't lose as much heat if one fails.

There are other, better brands, but these are a very decent heater for the price, and they aren't hard to find.

I'm assuming you have an accurate thermometer, if not, don't forget to get one.

However, I'll bet you can save those fish just fine by jumping right on it.

I'm really sorry to hear about your troubles here.

 

[Fishguy2727]

I prefer VisiTherm Stealths, they are black so blend in very well (much better than glass).

Baking soda increases KH, exactly what creates pH stability. It does not act like pH up and downers that do exactly what you are talking about. This is just as effective as you water starting at a higher KH.

1 teaspoon of baking soda will raise 50 gallons by about 1 dKH.

 

[mudraker]

Personally, I was never able to maintain long-term ph stability using baking soda, though it definately worked temporarily, less than a week.

IMO, I still think she needs to find the cause of the ph drop and correct the problem that way.

Of course, the ich needs to be addressed above all at this point.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Diseases only happen when two things happen: 1-the pathogen is present and 2-the fish are stressed in some way enough to inhibit their immune system. Without fixing this stressor treating a disease can be useless because if the fish are still being stressed they will keep getting something. If the pH change stressed the fish enough that could be the actual problem and may be the only thing that needs to be changed. However, a 0.2 change in pH should not cause this. Most likely something else is also going on.

You can also add some crushed coral to the filter just like carbon, this is a very effective way to help keep KH/pH up.

 

[mudraker]

Ich isn't a disease, it is a parasitic infestation.

However, fish are highly susespitible to other diseases after ich infestation. A wild ph swing is also very bad for fish health.

I'm just saying getting to the root of the ph swing is also important so it can be stabilized or eliminated.

I run crushed coral in my tank with co2 and it works like a champ.

 

[Fishguy2727]

Ich is a pathogen, like 'true'(?) diseases it requires fish to be stressed for them to be infected.

 

[mudraker]

Ich is a parasite