Water is still too hard.

[Itsasylum]

Hello. I've been monitoring my tank for a while now and I keep doing 25 to 50 percent water changes and it seems as though I can't get my water hardness correct. It's staying around 150 which is very hard.

I've managed to get all my other numbers in the sweet spot except for that one. What can I do?


(Note) my fish and snail that are in the tank right now don't seem to be bothered by it. But I'd still like to get it right for them.

 

[Aiken Drum]

What type of hardness are you meaning? Carbonate hardness (KH) or general hardness (GH). They are measures of different things.

150ppm is considered moderately hard. Very hard would be 300+. Your water hardness is at a level that will suit a wide variety of fish. Fish are very adaptable to a wide range of pH and water hardness. A lot of fish arent wild caught any more and will have been bred in a wide range of water parameters. If they have been bred locally they will have come from water similar to what comes out of your tap. Both soft water fish like tetras and hard water fish like livebearers will be confortable in your moderately hard water. Your water hardness is similar to what comes out of the tap where i live and we have no problem keeping a wide variety of fish.

What is the hardness of your tap water? If the water in your tank and the water from your tap are similar then doing water changes wont effect anything. If you want to lower your water hardness you need to mix tap water with water that is softer than your tap water, like RO water or rainwater.

Is there anything in your tank that might be source of hardness? Like coral or limestone? These minerals will dissolve and raise your hardness up to a point.

Making water softer is more difficult than making water harder. Its easier to make water harder by adding minerals than it is to make it softer by removing them.

And finally. If your fish and snails are fine, why are you worrying? Trying to adjust water parameters usually does more harm than good. Stability is far more important than trying to get to what you perceive as ideal. Your water is moderately hard, thats where it wants to be. Your fish are fine. If it aint broke dont fix it.

 

[angiemike6]

The GH of my tap water varies between 285/320 ppm which is very hard. I have never used anything to reduce that hardness and have a very happy community tank with Clown Loaches, Bolivian Rams, Boesemani Rainbow Fish. Corys, Golden Gourami and more. Most of my fish are over 5 years of age, More important is regular water changes to keep your Ammonia and Nitrate levels good.

 

[Colin_T]

Hello. I've been monitoring my tank for a while now and I keep doing 25 to 50 percent water changes and it seems as though I can't get my water hardness correct. It's staying around 150 which is very hard.

I've managed to get all my other numbers in the sweet spot except for that one. What can I do?


(Note) my fish and snail that are in the tank right now don't seem to be bothered by it. But I'd still like to get it right for them.

What fish do you keep?

Angelfish, discus, most tetras, most barbs, Bettas, gouramis, rasbora, Corydoras and small species of suckermouth catfish all occur in soft water (GH below 150ppm) and a pH below 7.0.

Livebearers (guppies, platies, swordtails, mollies), rainbowfish and goldfish occur in medium hard water with a GH around 200-250ppm and a pH above 7.0.

African Rift Lake cichlids live in very hard water (GH above 300ppm) with a pH between 7.6 and 8.5.

 

[angiemike6]

Colin I agree with what you say about fish, but sometimes its just a matter of the fish getting used to your tank. My PH is 7.6 and my GH around 300. I have no problem keeping gouramis, rasbora and corydoras even though strictly speaking my GH and PH are wrong for them. On the other hand I cannot manage to keep guppies, platies, swordtails and especially mollies although the water is more towards their liking. I do keep Boesmani Rainbowfish with no problem. Important is regular weekly water changes to keep the nitrates in check.

 

[Andy Sager]

Colin I agree with what you say about fish, but sometimes its just a matter of the fish getting used to your tank. My PH is 7.6 and my GH around 300. I have no problem keeping gouramis, rasbora and corydoras even though strictly speaking my GH and PH are wrong for them. On the other hand I cannot manage to keep guppies, platies, swordtails and especially mollies although the water is more towards their liking. I do keep Boesmani Rainbowfish with no problem. Important is regular weekly water changes to keep the nitrates in check.

Actually, the end result of keeping fish in water that they are not designed for is a shortened lifespan and it's only after generations of slow acclimation to different water conditions that they adapt. Case in point, I've bred Angelfish in every water from rain water to S. Florida's water with a Ph and GH that is perfect only for African Cichlids and marine fish. When I moved breeders from the soft acidic water of New Jersey to Florida, they lived but stopped breeding while Angels that were raised in Florida's water bred like rats and mice. lol So it's not an immediate acceptance for long term health.

 

[Colin_T]

Colin I agree with what you say about fish, but sometimes its just a matter of the fish getting used to your tank. My PH is 7.6 and my GH around 300. I have no problem keeping gouramis, rasbora and corydoras even though strictly speaking my GH and PH are wrong for them. On the other hand I cannot manage to keep guppies, platies, swordtails and especially mollies although the water is more towards their liking. I do keep Boesmani Rainbowfish with no problem. Important is regular weekly water changes to keep the nitrates in check.

Your livebearer problems are not uncommon. Many common livebearers coming out of Asian fish farms are so inbred, they are basically crap now. They are also regularly infected with gill flukes, intestinal worms, and external bacterial & protozoan infections. Unless the fish are treated for these diseases when you get them, chances are the fish will die within a few months. And any that don't die from disease will probably die from inbreeding and genetic defects.