Lowering GH and KH

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jerman

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Feb 28, 2006
Messages
27
How Can I lower GH and KH, My tap water is very hard, and although my plants will tolorate the high numbers, it is affecting my shrimp and snails.
Also doesnt very high GH/KH affect how much CO2 dissolves into the H2O.

I dont have the exact numbers on me now but both GH/KH were at the top of the scale for my test kits so around 400+ppm ea.

Also I've used the Water softener pads with no luck, and have resorted to buying Distilled H20 for PWC. I use no PH or buffer chemicals either
Any other way to lower hardness.
J
 
No, using distilled, or RO/DI water is the best solution to soften extremely hard water. I'd agree you water is too hard for softener pillows to work well. And any chemical additive is not only just a temporary fix....it'll likely cause worse problems as a side-effect of using it.
 
Seachem's acid buffer claims to break down KH and convert it into Co2 which will dissolve out of the water. It should effectively reduce the KH and drag the GH down in the process. It's the only chemical I'ld say is a decent concept.
 
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