How to raise GH but not affect PH in a nature way

[concentration]

Hello All,

I have read several artical but seems to understand abit more but at the same time got more confused but bascially I am having a tank with few plants, mostly rock based ( i don't know how to say it but it's not soil at the bottom but some tiny stone like thing which the package say is fine for fish and will release abit acid )


Orignally the tank water:
the PH is around 7-7.4
nitrate or nirite are very low
however, the GH/KH pretty low (GH around 2-3 and KH is almost 0-1)
I am currently living in an area which soft water are the only option
( i tested the tap water and it show the ph is around 7.5, GH and KH are 2-3 and 0-1 same as above)

i am feeding guppy fish mostly with some plants

my questions are

1) is there an idea GH/PH level which will enhance guppy fish breeding?

2) I read about something online that while KH is for PH bufferring and i don't have to worry too much if my tank has a stable PH value but a suitable level of GH will be good for fishes which provide them with minerial for their health.

I tried to put a limestone into my tank and it does improvide the GH abit ( it's not around 4-5) but it also raise the PH ( around 8 ) I read ppl say GH will be better if it to have a GH of around 10 for guppy fish but i am worried that it may raise PH too much ( which may not be too good for the fishes or the plant)?

3) it seems higher GH usually correlated to higher PH but at the same time ( just like the tape water i have here) it's possible to have a high PH but relatively low GH/KH is it's true that it's better to have a higher GH, is there anyway to increase GH while not moving the PH too much and what are the option?

and finally is it true that high PH water is not good for plants?


Thank you so much for your help

 

[StevenF]

Lime stone is calcium carbonate. it dissolves in acidic water but not in alkaline water. IN water with a PH of 7 you will only be able to dissolve about 11mg of it in one liter of water. So it only increase Gh by about 0.5 degrees. 1 degree is 17.9ppm. With such a small amount added you typically won't see any PH change or only a very small one. KH typically stays about 40 or 50ppm. Although I don't own guppies, I have read that they tolerate 20ppm GH to about 400ppm GH. It is very difficult to get a high GH number with carbonates due to the low solubility.

Two commonly used salts for increasing GH are calcium sulfate and calcium chloride. For example Sachem Equilibrium and replenish
http://www.seachem.com/equilibrium.php

http://www.seachem.com/replenish.php

Note these products don't just have calcium salts. GH is not just calcium. It is a mixture of calcium and magnesium. Commercial products also typically contain some potassium sulfate or potassium chloride. All of these calcium and magnesium and potassium salts are found in natural rivers and streams. Typically 3 parts calcium is found in water for every 1 part magnesium.

The calcium and sulfate ions are very strongly bonded to the calcium and magnesium atom and as a result there is no noticeable change in PH. They also don't register in the KH carbonate test. Carbonates in comparison have a weaker bond and as a result will have a greater effect on on PH. Although it is still small. However Calcium, magnesium, sulfur and chlorine are all plant nutrients. So if rapid growth is occurring the rapid consumption of these element can cause PH to change. The PH may start between 6 and 7 which lights first turn onto as much as 8 or more when lights turn off during the day. If you see this you can either:

1. dime the light brightness down until the PH stabilizes
2. Add CO2 to the water as is commonly done in high tech aquariums which typically also have very bright lights.

 

[concentration]

"Calcium magnesium etc are plant nutrients and rapid consumption will change pH"
Hmm but isn't it these nuturial usually mean higher GH ? And I heard higher GH usually associated with higher ph, ? Then why some ppl say plant are best to be living under slightly lower Ph water ?

And so it seem other than putting chemical into the pool there isn't much other practical way to increase GH to the tank due to the water itself very soft isn't it ?

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[StevenF]

Hmm but isn't it these nuturial usually mean higher GH ? And I heard higher GH usually associated with higher ph, ? Then why some ppl say plant are best to be living under slightly lower Ph water ?

PH changes depend on what you add to the tank.

• oxide or hydroxide salts will have a strong PH affect on water. They will push PH up.
• Carbonates have a week effect on PH. They will push low PH water up to 7 at which point the reaction stops and further changes will not occur to PH.
• Sulfate and hallide salt (chlorine salts) will have no effect on PH.

However when you add plants chemical reacts within the plant and tank can convert one salt into another. If the reaction is strong enough you may sea a PH, KH, and GH change. Most of the time you won't see a change change.

When I add my sulfate GH booster to the my tank there is no PH change. But when plants are growing things can change. However when I turn my light from its regular brightness setting of 40% to full brightness the plants grow very fast and consume more sulfate than calcium. That leaves calcium hydroxid in the water while the sulfate is in the plant. Calcium hydroxide has a strong effect on PH. So PH goes up. But when the lights go off and the plants stop growing the calcium hydroxide will react with CO2 in the water to form Calcium carbonate. which has a weaker effect on PH. PH will then drop down to a lower level. Note this will only happen during very rapid growth of plants. Most people don't have bright enough light or nutrient conditions that will sustain such rapid growth. Most people will never see such a PH change.

 

[concentration]

I see so hmm it seems

1) if there is no plant no fish in the water , high oh water doesn't always mean high GH and low ph water doesn't always need to have low GH in it ?

2) the reason why some ppl say ph and gh has a positive correlation is talking about the method of increasing ph? E.g putting limestone to increase GH but limestone will also increase PH to some point

And because"stuff in water " react " with each other , there is no real formula to give more minnerial to my dishes while keeping the water around 7but slot trial and error ?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[StevenF]

I see so hmm it seems

1) if there is no plant no fish in the water , high oh water doesn't always mean high GH and low ph water doesn't always need to have low GH in it ?

2) the reason why some ppl say ph and gh has a positive correlation is talking about the method of increasing ph? E.g putting limestone to increase GH but limestone will also increase PH to some point

Correct on both points.

And because"stuff in water " react " with each other , there is no real formula to give more minnerial to my dishes while keeping the water around 7but slot trial and error ?

True but, The water chemistry has some inertia. Generally PH, GH, and KH will not change that fast, especially in larger tanks. Even in smaller tanks they tend to settle in with reasonably stable PH, GH, KH. As long as you are reasonably stable in your maintenance the tank should be stable. Furthermore animals and flash are more adaptable than we often believe. Furthermore the products I linked to earlier have been in use by many for years without any problems.

After making a change to a aquariummonitor the tank carefully. After a period of time you will eventually see how the aquarium behaves. If it is stable you can reduce your monitoring. IF it is not stably you can always go back to how you maintained the tank before the change.

 

[concentration]

Thank you I think I will try to keep it simple and make as little change as I can and see how it goes , Thank you

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