Low gh, High kh and ph

[Fishinfreak]

My family moved a few weeks ago, and since we moved only a few miles and in same city, I assumed our water would be about the same. When I first set back up my tank, I just tested ph and the three in the nitrate cycle to make sure everything was running fine. A few days ago I tested the gh and kh and was shocked to find that while the pH was about 8 and the kh around 12°, both which were similar to the old house, the gh is 2°. I just want to make sure this will be "fish safe" as it seems like kind of and odd combo.

 

[ScotJudd]

I would worry more if the Kh was low because your Ph could be quite unstable. If you have a planted tank I would be tempted to raise the Gh, I use Equilibrium which has a good mix of minerals for plants and raises the Gh.


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[Fishinfreak]

Yes, this is a planted tank. I know often people recommend against messing with water chemistry, but maybe if this is going to cause deficiencis for the plants I will want to change it.

 

[ScotJudd]

I don't see using Equalibrium as messing with water chemistry but rather adding minerals when they are missing from the water source. Yes, Gh will rise but Kh and Ph will not be affected. I raise my Gh and Kh from near zero to about 6 degrees just to stabilise the tank and ensure the plants get what they need. I think trying to raise or lower Ph significantly is a tricky road though and should be attempted with caution.


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[trennamw]

I don't see using Equalibrium as messing with water chemistry but rather adding minerals when they are missing from the water source. Yes, Gh will rise but Kh and Ph will not be affected. I raise my Gh and Kh from near zero to about 6 degrees just to stabilise the tank and ensure the plants get what they need. I think trying to raise or lower Ph significantly is a tricky road though and should be attempted with caution.


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That.


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[Fishinfreak]

Update: I did a little more research on my own, and saw someone say that water softeners remove calcium and replace with *sodium* (I may be wrong on what chemicals), but whatever they are ut lowers gh and I think raises kh. They recommended locating somewhere where you can get water before it is softened, which for me was an outside hose. I added prime to some of the water and tested it 5 or 6 hours later and got a gh of 12, kh 10, and ph 8 or 8.2. Now I think my two options are to use this water or do a gh booster like Equalibrium. If I used non softened water, I'd have to find somewhere on the house to get water in the winter, and set up a tank/bucket with a heater to get it to tank temperature. I do like the idea of doing this though as it wouldn't require adding a gh booster, which all seem to have mixed results.