GH too high

[Cococalm]

Bog wood no.

Edit, found this on peat.
It won't have much effect on your water hardness. To have any effect it has to "white" sphagnum peat (formed in an <"ombrotrophic mire">), then it will exchange H+ ions for cations like Ca++ (multivalent ions are more strongly bound than monovalent ones), but it is cation exchange, meaning that the exchange sites will soon be filled with Ca++ ions and any softening effect will cease.
(I'm not bright enough to come up with that answer!)

Thank you for the info. I am really keen on trying Sphagnum moss, I collected some today for the PH, but learning that it can have an effect on GH, I am even more keen.

Attached is the reading after a 30% water change. PH is 7.4. But GH is still greater than 21(deg)dGH.

Nitrite is a tad high but after the water change, this will improve. The CO2 is still too low but this is a project in progress ... my ordered kit has not arrived yet. KH is 10.

Breeding is not a concern for me at this stage ... probably never in this tank. This is an aquascape tank so I'm more concerned to have a healthy planted tank and inhabitants.

Looking forward to reading your ideas on this latest update.

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Don't think I have any more ideas!
The pH will come down with addition co2 (Kh dependent)
Other than that.........

To a certain extent you can increase co2 by not running an air stone. Really and truthfully planted tanks are not my thing! Someone like delapool caliban or maybe brookster? Could help......or I think rivercats, but while I've been back I haven't seen a post from her.

Now I'm actually interested to see what happens with the sphagnum moss. It is something I've never dealt with, my tanks are built for fish first, I have plants but proper planted (and I must say beautiful) tanks are not my thing! I am a fish guy!

I'll pm some links.....they are more than expert enough......

 

[Brookster123]

So the new tank has the high gh? This thread is a tad confusing.. how exactly are you testing? Like.. spell it out for me

 

[J.Mcpeak]

Test is with jbl proscan.
But I think it's turned from the GH issue to a planted scenario using sphagnum and co2.

I don't do plants!
That's for you lot.........

 

[Brookster123]

This is why i asked for the details. It's a strip test you trust your phone to read?!?!? Good grief what a waste of money... Get a quality liquid test and use your eyes... human eyes are extremely advanced technology.

 

[flchamp89]

This is why i asked for the details. It's a strip test you trust your phone to read?!?!? Good grief what a waste of money... Get a quality liquid test and use your eyes... human eyes are extremely advanced technology.

Lol....I laugh more when your around

 

[Brookster123]

Lol....I laugh more when your around

It's not funny hahahah

 

[flchamp89]

Idk.....same gh as my tank. I survive it.

 

[Cococalm]

To Bookster 123 :

Tank 180 lit Jewel Trigon corner tank.

Tank type : Planted, aquascape.

Fish : Amazonian varieties - Neons, Lemon tets, Flame tets, Splash tets, Rams, Copper tets, Rummy nose, Corys.
Inverts : Shrimps (Neocaridina) and Nerine snails
(Livestock is not yet in the tank but in another 120 lit tank)

Filter : Eheim 2228 Canister filter.
Heating : Tetra HT 150
Lighting : T5 Sylvana tubes ( Aquastar x 1 and Growlux x 1)
CO2 set-up : Not operational yet, but a DIY Citric Acid and Baking soda mix connected to an inline reactor from the canister filter.

Tank was set up 3 weeks ago. I test with the JBL ProScan test strips and their APP which feeds back the reading and suggested "remedies". I know this to be a commercial venture for JBL but it can't all be baloney. Mt last test is attached.

The water is clear although I suspect I might have some protein in the water - photo attached - bubble do not burst rapidly. I do not think this will be a problem. I think this comes from the wood in the tank ... Photo shows the white film on the wood. This is much less than a fortnight ago and has been reducing progressively.

So getting back to the initial post, my GH is >21°d, which is my main concern at this time. I want to bring the GH down as the water in my region is very hard. I will be adding Spagnum Moss to my filter to lower the PH but learned yesterday that even the GH can be reduced with this, so all the more eager to try.

I do not have RO water and we have not had rain yet.

I have no intention to do any breeding in this tank but want to have a grand planted tank with healthy livestock.

Thanks for any input.

( PS: Picture of wood is upside down )

 

[Brookster123]

Wood does that for a while, nothing to worry about. You're tank is cycling, parameters will be here and there. I know it's not your issue but you'll want to stay on top of that for the fish, more important than gh at this point. You have hard water, you'll need to mitigate that with a pre tank filtration, rodi works well for me. My water sucks and I like all the fishes so I had to make it work.. rodi..

 

[flchamp89]

Thanks brook lol

 

[Cococalm]

GH too high, progress

Hello all.

I thought I would update you all on whats been happening with this new set up. A month has passed and the tank has cycled. I have added the fish and they have now been residing in it for a week. I have had no deaths so far.

My last 2 water changes were dong with rain water I have been able to collect. I now have about 100lit of rain water in storage which is being aerated or circulated using a pump and a light filter to prevent the water stagnating.

I am including with this post my last 4 water parameter tests for you all to see what has happened. I am pleased to report that I have achieved these results without CO2 as of yet.

The rain water has certainly, I believe, contributed to the dramatic drop in the GH which was my primary concern. I had some melt off of only one plant type, unfortunately, I do not know its name. Only one tiny stem is still alive and I am hoping this one will be able to establish itself.

The plants in the tank are as follows :

Bucephelandra wavy leaf green
Bucephelandra wavy leaf red ( although the red is very feint IMO.)
Amazon Sword
Various Echinadorus
Cryptocorynne
3 different mosses ... one is Christmas moss I believe.
Babys tears
Pogostemon helferi
Bolbitis ( 2 types, a big leaf one and a little leaf one)
Banana plants
Tiger lotus
Some anubias ( small leaf - I think the melted one is also one such )
a large Aponogeton Ulvaceus
Some "moss balls"
and what I think is Sagitaria variety .... like a Valisnaria Gigantea but not as Gigantic.

Fish population :

Rummy nose ~ 9
neaon tetras ~ 12
Lemon tetras ~ 4
Copper tetras ~ 4
Corydoras ( Julie, 3 stripe and copper) ~7
Otocinclus ~6
Fire tetras ( really small ) ~6
2 Splash tetras

I also have 4 Nerite snails and some Amano Shrimp.

I plan to add :

koi angels ~ 5
Otcinclus ~ 6
Splash Tetras ~ 4
Lemn tetras ~ 4
Copper tetras ~ 4
Corydoras julie ~ 4

This, I think, will be my total population.

I will also be adding sppagnum moss to my filter once I get the CO2 running. I am missing one component for the CO2 system.

Speaking of the CO2, I am going to be using a citric soda and baking powder mixture to test out the CO2 before perhaps investing ( when I have the cash) on a pressurised system.

later thisd evening I will add some pics of the tank. I have too much reflection during the day.

Thanks to all who have followed this lead and contributed to the need for information.

Cheers