What do I make out of my kh and gh water test?

[Runsoncoffee]

I’ve recently been digging into the more technical side of the aquarium hobby, and after 6 months of having the API master test kit I wanted to purchase a kh&gh test kit.
I’m having some serious trouble understanding the results, and how to fix it because I’m sure something is way way off.
My kh only needed 1 drop to turn yellow
And my gh needed 37 drops to turn green. (This number wasn’t even listed on the gh ranges)

I did a water change right after, so I’m unfortunately not able to retest it with the same water.

Any help would be appreciated, thank you

 

[Aiken Drum]

Is there anything happening in the tank (apart from your test results) that indicate there is anything you need to be concerned about?

 

[Runsoncoffee]

Is there anything happening in the tank (apart from your test results) that indicate there is anything you need to be concerned about?

No everyone is very healthy. Maybe the plants are suffering a bit though

 

[Aiken Drum]

If the plants are the only thing thats an issue i would look at other things before looking to water chemistry.

Your test results do look odd though. While they measure different things, you would expect if one was high the other would also. Calcium carbonate in the water for instance will raise both KH and GH. I would check your test results, maybe test your water supply.

Are you the guy who works in the fish store? Maybe test some tanks at work to make sure you are doing the test right and the test kit is good.

 

[Runsoncoffee]

If the plants are the only thing thats an issue i would look at other things before looking to water chemistry.

Your test results do look odd though. While they measure different things, you would expect if one was high the other would also. Calcium carbonate in the water for instance will raise both KH and GH. I would check your test results, maybe test your water supply.

Are you the guy who works in the fish store? Maybe test some tanks at work to make sure you are doing the test right and the test kit is good.

Yeah I do work at a fish store
I will definitely double check my test, and check the water supply.
Could the water hardness possibly be from over fertilizing or the epsom salt I put in to prevent any sickness? (1tbsp per 5g)

 

[Aiken Drum]

Yes. Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate?) will raise general hardness (calcium + magnesium) but not carbonate hardness (carbonate + bicarbonate).

Im not an advocate of using salt as a preventative measure. Epsom salt is more usually used as a dip rather than something that is added as a treatment or preventative in the main tank. Aquarium salt is more commonly used for the purpose you are using the epsom salt for in the main tank. Not something i know a whole lot about or have a particularly strong opinion about, but thought i would mention.

As a side note. Your KH test isnt actually a test for KH (despite what it says on the packaging). Its a test for alkalinity. Alkalinity is mostly made up of KH but includes some other stuff as well. In aquarium situations they are commonly considered the same thing, but in reality they arent.

 

[Runsoncoffee]

Yes. Epsom salt (magnesium sulphate?) will raise general hardness (calcium + magnesium) but not carbonate hardness (carbonate + bicarbonate).

Im not an advocate of using salt as a preventative measure. Epsom salt is more usually used as a dip rather than something that is added as a treatment or preventative in the main tank. Aquarium salt is more commonly used for the purpose you are using the epsom salt for in the main tank. Not something i know a whole lot about or have a particularly strong opinion about, but thought i would mention.

As a side note. Your KH test isnt actually a test for KH (despite what it says on the packaging). Its a test for alkalinity. Alkalinity is mostly made up of KH but includes some other stuff as well. In aquarium situations they are commonly considered the same thing, but in reality they arent.

The person who got me into the fish hobby used epsom salt, so I just adopted some of her habits when I got in. Most of them at this point have been unlearned, but I’ve kept this one because I’ve found my fish to be healthier with it than without. If you think it’s affecting the gh then I can definitely back off with it for awhile and see.
I use alkalinity buffer to raise my ph as my water source is 6-6.4 ph, could that help with the kh? I know I’d like to raise that a bit, just to help keep the ph stable.

 

[Aiken Drum]

If you wanted to raise your GH, KH and pH a little, i would just drop a filter bag of crushed coral or some cuttlefish bone (both calcium carbonate) in the filter rather than the salts and chemical additives. Trying to dose chemicals into the water usually cause more issues than they solve, maintaining steady parameters is more important than trying to attain the ideal parameters. If you really feel the need to though, something left in the filter will slow release, last a long time and raise these parameters in a more safe manner.

 

[Runsoncoffee]

If you wanted to raise your GH, KH and pH a little, i would just drop a filter bag of crushed coral or some cuttlefish bone (both calcium carbonate) in the filter rather than the salts and chemical additives. Trying to dose chemicals into the water usually cause more issues than they solve, maintaining steady parameters is more important than trying to attain the ideal parameters. If you really feel the need to though, something left in the filter will slow release, last a long time and raise these parameters in a more safe manner.

I’ll probably do that for the kh and ph, the gh is a little too high for my comfort… or for the fish I have. Is it possible to raise the kh and lower the gh? More wood maybe, and less epsom salt?
Sorry I’ve got so many questions, this isn’t something I’ve got a lot of experience with in terms of practical application

 

[Aiken Drum]

I think you will have to cut back on (or cut out) the epsom salts to get gh down.

 

[Runsoncoffee]

I think you will have to cut back on (or cut out) the epsom salts to get gh down.

I’m okay with that. I’ll completely cut it out until the gh gets to a level I’d like, and then I’ll do some experimenting to see where the sweet spot is. If I end up not being able to use epsom salt in the tank at all, I can still use it as a dip like you said!
Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Aiken Drum]

If you wanted to stick with salt in the water, aquarium salt (sodium chloride) shouldnt affect your water hardness.

 

[Runsoncoffee]

If you wanted to stick with salt in the water, aquarium salt (sodium chloride) shouldnt affect your water hardness.

That is good to know! Thank you! I’ll get the gh back down before I start looking at using those kinds of additives again though