Water Parameters

[Soulstar]

Hi guys,

I've been in this hobby for about 7 months now but first time I really checked out the water parameters.

For my 48 gallon aquarium (4 months old, fish & plants)

GH=6, KH=5, PH=7.2, NH3,NH4=0.

18 gallon aquarium (3 weeks old, only plants no fish)

GH=8, KH=4, PH=72, NH3,NH4=0.

Now that I have all these readings, what does it actually mean?

I read that GH and KH should be relevatively same, but there's a big difference in my 18 gallon.

How can I raise my KH? or should I even try?

Really want to understand what these readings mean for my aquarium.

Thanks in advance!

 

[bud29]

Your GH and KH are fine. So are your ammonia, nitrite, and pH. What are your nitrate readings (NO3)?

 

[Soulstar]

Your GH and KH are fine. So are your ammonia, nitrite, and pH. What are your nitrate readings (NO3)?

Haven't bough the NO3 test kit but I take it that its important?

 

[Bageezus]

Nitrates are def important. Nitrates are not directly lethal in the way ammonia or nitrites are, but over time higher levels with def have negative effects on your fish. Nitrates are a good contributor to algae growth also. You want them as low as possible, but you will always have some nitrates in your aquarium. The best way to keep low nitrates is water changes.

 

[T1KARMANN]

To tell the truth nitrates are not a problem even at high levels short term

You should always have some nitrate in the tank this tells you the cycle is working

If you stick to weekly water changes you should be fine with nitrates in FW

I have kept and bred stingrays in nitrates above 100ppm with no problems

Ammonia and N02 are the killers

As for gh and kh you will run into problems if its to low and the ph may crash
The good way to buff ph is with a water change

Its best to adjust your tank parameters to your tap water as adding chemicals is just a temp fix

Fish can adjust to most conditions if done slowly

 

[aqua_chem]

I agree. If you're correctly stocked and doing healthy tank maintenance, nitrates are essentially never an issue with fish health (barring a few sensitive species).

 

[Soulstar]

To tell the truth nitrates are not a problem even at high levels short term

You should always have some nitrate in the tank this tells you the cycle is working

If you stick to weekly water changes you should be fine with nitrates in FW

I have kept and bred stingrays in nitrates above 100ppm with no problems

Ammonia and N02 are the killers

As for gh and kh you will run into problems if its to low and the ph may crash
The good way to buff ph is with a water change

Its best to adjust your tank parameters to your tap water as adding chemicals is just a temp fix

Fish can adjust to most conditions if done slowly

So my GH and KH numbers are okay?

 

[T1KARMANN]

Not something you should worry about


If it does concern you put some coral chips in your filter