Water Tests... The before, after, and 24 hour results

[AquariumFreak]

Well I tested my tap water straight from the tap and got the following:

18 dGH
15 dKH
7.6 pH

Then I tested the tap water after 24 hours and got the following:

13 dGH
7 dKH
7.6 pH

Then yesterday I did a 30gal water change using RO water and then tested today and got the following:

12 dGH
11 dKH
7.3 pH (set by the pH montor and CO2)

So I am a little confused by all of these results... from what I can tell I should always be letting my water sit 24 hours before I do a water change... but then again that won't really matter when I get my RO unit in next week.

Well let me know what you make of all this.

Thanks in advance.

Jeff

 

[betowess]

Thats a little odd....You don't have any CC in your filter, I hope, because if you do that is not helping you move toward softer water. Its only for folks with too soft of water to get their KH and GH up (harder).

To really speed up the time needed for water to sit, I use a little Rio power head in each 5 gallon bucket... the smallest one or near smallest... the Rio 50 I believe. Big Als is the cheapest. My water out of the tap is like pH 5.6 to 5.8, but 8 to 10 hours with a Rio swirling water around brings it up to a 6.4 to 6.8 pH.

Also, I think a hot magnum is a bit small for your 90 gallon, unfortunately. Finally, by knowing your water parameters you're on the road to success. Have you tested for PO4 or Nitrates yet.

 

[AquariumFreak]

I don't have a Phospate test kit yet... which do you recomend? Also need to get the Nitrate test kit, only have the Nitrite one...


That HOT magnum works wonders.... I'll try and get some photo's up soon

 

[Mr Burns]

the HOT is going to be under powered, but in the case or green water and water polishing, it will do the job in about 48. but after the greenwater is gone, the combination of the XP3 and HOT can't be beat. btw jeff, how big is the HOT?

 

[AquariumFreak]

you mean size wise or gph?

 

[Mr Burns]

size. reason being - i might like to run it continuously on my tank and i need to know how far away from the wall i'd have to pull the tank.

 

[AquariumFreak]

Good thinking... My tank is 4 1/2" from the wall and it's a really TIGHT fit. I would say add about 3/4" to 1" for good clearance.

 

[Guest]

Dang, you have some terrible water. Are you able to drink that stuff?

Deffinatly get a Phos and Nitra test kit. A lot of algaes are caused by nutrient inbalances. In ex.....Phos or Nitrates to high. Its very important that you know exactly what your Phos and Nitra readings are in a planted tank. That way you can adjust accordingly ( add ferts, WC to lower high Nitra, fish waste is supplying enough Nitra at an acceptable level etc...)

When I started my first planted tank I did water para checks 4 to 7 days a week. Logging all my results. Making notes on observations from feeding, water changes, water temp, how the plants looked, those PITA algae blooms, fish activity, anything out of the ordinary etc...

If I recall, you have some driftwood in your tank? How big are the pieces? These will help soften your water a little, but with tap water like yours, it's not going to be substantal. Also, do you have any peat moss in your XP filter? Peat will help soften your water a little as well. Again, not substantalully, but every little bet helps.

I'm a firm believer in doing things naturally as much as possible. I try to keep as few a chemicals as possible going into my tanks. Whatever you do, don't get involved with PH up or down chemicals and such. They only adjust paras for a couple of days, then return to normal. Remember a stable tank is far more important to fish and plants than the perfect PH, GH, KH.

If I were you. I would'nt add anymore fish or plants to the tank for a month or two. Check water para's often and log all observations. With tap water like yours, it's really important that you check your water para's before and after WC's. Especially large water changes. PH swings stress fish heavily.

After a couple of months of observations, you should have a good baseline as to what your tank is doing and PH, GH, KH should be stablized. After getting your para's stable and running constant. Introduce fish that like your water.

Is'nt this the greatest hobby? Even when stressed and don't understand, it's still fun. It's all part of the learning curve

 

[AquariumFreak]

I do know my water sucks... that's why I am getting that RO until

I will start keeping a journal starting tomorrow of everything you have told me.

How long can I leave in my micron filter?

 

[betowess]

Depends how your using it and how quickly it is clogging. Check the flow and look at the filter. If using with Diatomaceous earth, when the flow is slowing substancially, yank it and clean. Some people keep three filters going. One spare and one being cleaned at all times.
Re: PO4 & NO3 test I think Seachem or Aquarium Pharm or RedSea. I don't like the Hagen Nutrafin PO4 test dispenser. You don't have CC in your XP3 do you?

 

[Guest]

The R/O is going to be a big help.It's very important that you do water para checks before and after a WC, especially big WC's. With your tap/tank water where its at, I'd recommend doing several smaller WC's when you get the R/O to keep shock down to a minimum. As I said earlier, swings in water para's stress fish.

Be careful when doing water changes and monitor closely when you start using the R/O.

 

[Guest]

BTW....what ferts you using at the moment?

 

[Guest]

BTW....what ferts you using at the moment?

 

[AquariumFreak]

Right now I only have the Seachem Flourish Tabs in the tank.

 

[AquariumFreak]

Now what about iron and copper test kits?

 

[Guest]

From all the research I gathered. It appears most iron test are inaccurate and a waste of money. Therefore, I don't even bother testing iron. I use Seachems iron, dossed at about 75% of what's recommended on the bottle. Seams to be working. I also have Eco Complete, which is iron rich.

I use PMDD dry ferts and Seachems root tabs as well. I have several swords that are heavy root feeders is why I use the root tabs. Be careful with how many/how often you use root tabs. I was a little over loving with the root tabs once. Needless to say, I got a major rise in my Phos. That took several WC/GV's to get the Phos in check. Not to mention a couple different types of algae bloom. The worst being BGA thats a pain to get rid of. Personally I like dry ferts much better. For me dry seams much eaiser. Not to mention considerable cheaper than bottled liquids.

As for copper. I don't test for that either. I honestly don't have a reasonable explanation why. I'm very picky about what I put in my tanks. I could be wrong, but I think some meds increase copper. I try to cure my tank problems as much as possible naturally (not a big fan of chemicals). Plus I do 3 WC's per week, so I'm not overly worried about copper building up. Perhaps someone with a better understanding of copper can chime in on this one.