Ideal water parameters

[Mr.Cola1151]

Ok, so I bought an API 5 in 1 test kit and have some questions.
What is the difference between dgh/dkh and mg/L ?
I would need to buy some additives for myself to change my parameters...

Right now just a formula to change my/L to DGH and mg/L to DKH .

From what I see, I have to raise DKH by 3, and lower DGH by 2.
I read that baking soda will raise DKH.



Thanks for the help, many others might be looking at the same problems

 

[skrapeNKA]

What is the difference between dgh/dkh and mg/L ?

They are different units of measure.

DGH - Degrees of General Hardness
DKH - Degrees of Carbonate Hardness

mg/L - milligrams per Liter

 

[rlederer]

One GH is equivalent to about 17 ppm of calcium. I would avoid messing with additives because that will just get you in a cycle of always messing with additives. If you have water problems, get a Reverse osmosis system. Much easier to handle in the long run.

 

[Ingy]

GH, imho is not very important in the fw systems. It measures calcium and a few other metal ions. In saltwater systems it is so important we actually measure them separately (calcium and magnesium specifically). However in my fw tanks I have measured it twice and done nothing about it.
KH measures the more important carbonates or alkalinity. That defines how stable your waters pH will be. A higher KH means smaller pH swings. However, and this is important, a higher alk will mean a higher pH in a balanced system. That's where CO2 comes in it lowers pH without changing alk.
So don't worry about GH and only do something about KH if it is low.

 

[BBradbury]

Mr C...

Do you have plans to keep and breed rare fish species? If you just want to keep a basic tank with fish from the local pet store, you really don't need to know anything about the chemicals that make up your tap water. The simple reason is: The vast majority of pet store fish will be fine in the vast majority of public water supplies. All you need to do is treat the tap with a declorinator to remove the chemicals the public water people put into the water to make it safe to drink.

If you believe you may have water that's unsuitable for keeping fish, take a sample to you local pet store and have it tested before you buy any fish.

B

 

[Mr.Cola1151]

I have low ALK right now and my ph is also 6.5. I think I'll take your advice and not play with additives, my fish are doing fine anyways.

 

[BBradbury]

Mr C...

Fish from the local pet store will be fine in water with a pH as acidic as 6.0 to as basic as 8.5. Acidic water is fine for a planted tank and as long as you keep the chemistry steady by removing and replacing most of the water every week or so, your fish will be fine too.

B