Hardness Question

[FW Goober]

So I have a 46 gallon bowfront aquarium with

2x Angels
2x Dwarf Gourami
2x Bristlenose Pleco
2x Julii Cory (Used to have 4)
5x Harlequin Rasbora
10x Neon Tetra
3x Assassin Snails
40x MTSs

Current water parameters

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
PH 7.8
GH/KH 6
CA 70 ppm (added for snails)

So my question is I bought 4 Juliis and a week ago 1 had died, and today another had died. Prompting my to do a water test both times as you can see my water is good I think my PH is a little high. But I had read somewhere that my GH/KH should be around 10-15 which I think is insanely high. I guess I wanna know your thoughts on that?

Thanks

 

[ScotJudd]

I have one observation - nitrate levels are hardly ever zero and if that test result is wrong then I would be suspect of the other results as well.
Are you using a liquid test set or the strips, which are not very reliable and can degrade if exposed to air or dampness.
As to the Gh/Kh, my set up is the similar and all my fish, shrimp, Corys and snails are doing very well at 6.
I have tried Juliis and false juliis without success, I don't know why. The pandas and peppered are doing vey well and the peppered are breeding, despite the best efforts of the fish and shrimp trying to eat the eggs.
Do you quarantine your fish as I find this a good way to 'pamper' them and build them up before adding them to the main tank. Most fish, when bought and transported home, are stressed and weakened by the experience and quarantining lets them settle in a quiet environment. I find this is almost as important as quarantining to avoid introducing desease into the main tank.


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[lksdrinker]

So I have a 46 gallon bowfront aquarium with

2x Angels
2x Dwarf Gourami
2x Bristlenose Pleco
2x Julii Cory (Used to have 4)
5x Harlequin Rasbora
10x Neon Tetra
3x Assassin Snails
40x MTSs

Current water parameters

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
PH 7.8
GH/KH 6
CA 70 ppm (added for snails)

So my question is I bought 4 Juliis and a week ago 1 had died, and today another had died. Prompting my to do a water test both times as you can see my water is good I think my PH is a little high. But I had read somewhere that my GH/KH should be around 10-15 which I think is insanely high. I guess I wanna know your thoughts on that?

Thanks

I have one observation - nitrate levels are hardly ever zero and if that test result is wrong then I would be suspect of the other results as well.
Are you using a liquid test set or the strips, which are not very reliable and can degrade if exposed to air or dampness.
As to the Gh/Kh, my set up is the similar and all my fish, shrimp, Corys and snails are doing very well at 6.
I have tried Juliis and false juliis without success, I don't know why. The pandas and peppered are doing vey well and the peppered are breeding, despite the best efforts of the fish and shrimp trying to eat the eggs.
Do you quarantine your fish as I find this a good way to 'pamper' them and build them up before adding them to the main tank. Most fish, when bought and transported home, are stressed and weakened by the experience and quarantining lets them settle in a quiet environment. I find this is almost as important as quarantining to avoid introducing desease into the main tank.


Sent from my iPad using Aquarium Advice

I'll chime in on the nitrates. A reading of 0 is possible in a well established heavily planted tank. Otherwise, a reading of 0 nitrates typically indicates a non cycled tank/filter. I'll assume thats note the case here due to the stocking level in the tank though. The API liquid test kits are notoriously difficult to use. The 2nd bottle of re-agent really needs to be shaken vigorously...even banged on the table sometimes!

I didnt see what temperature this tank is kept at? Certain cories like cooler water which could be an issue here.

As far as a gh/kh of 10-15 that seems very high.