Opinions on PH/GH & KH

[Flowerfairy13]

Hi All! Me again!
I have some concerns about my water levels & I wanted to ask opinions as the information I am finding online seems to be very conflicting.
Tank info;
Tank 1- 250L planted
Readings;
PH; 8.2
Ammonia; 0ppm
Nitrite; 0ppm
Nitrate; 0ppm
GH; 357.2ppm
KH; 250ppm
Species in tank; Salt & Pepper Corys x 6, Bronze Corys x 8, Albino Corys x 4, Guppies x 3 + 2 fry, Swords x 3 + 2 fry, Mollies x 6, Golden Bristlenose x 1, Pearl Gourami x 2
Tank 2 - 60L planted
Exact same readings as above.
Species in tank; Bladder snails, 3 x red spot snails, 10 x Neo Shrimp

What is everyone's opinions on my PH/GH & KH? Is it too high? My tap water readings are; PH 6.8, with the same KH and GH readings as above. I have well water so my water is naturally hard anyway. Should I go about lowering my hardness? Some deaths lately have lead me to question everything in the tank (previous post on the deaths).

If you think the readings are too high, what are your top tricks for lowering them? I plan on adding ALOT more plants tomorrow - the area I live is pretty isolated with no stores nearby that sell aquatic plants so they are not as accessible as I would like.

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[Colin_T]

The GH and KH are too high for Corydoras, gouramis and bristlenose but is great for mollies, swordtails and guppies.

To low the GH and KH, mix half rainwater, distilled water or reverse osmosis with the tap water to get a lower GH, KH and pH for the other fishes.

Ideally you want two aquariums, one for the livebearers who can have straight well water. The other aquarium is for the catfish and gouramis and that can have a mix of r/o, rain or distilled mixed with well water.

 

[Aqua67]

I also have well water so I know the troubles. I use RO water and remineralize (I have 3 shrimp tanks, 2 fish tanks) as I find it helps me get a good control on the water parameters and I can mix it up the same way each time. I like Brightwell products mostly for my fish tanks and I like the Salty Shrimp products for my neo and caridina. I agree with Colin_T with regards to mixing water with 0 TDS to your high TDS tap water, if you choose to continue using your well water. The only other thing I’d add is if you wanted to lower the PH you could also use botanicals. The botanicals might tint your water but they have beneficial properties and provide food for little critters (paramecium, rotifers, etc.) that your fish may enjoy feasting on.

 

[Magnum Man]

Agree with all posted so far… except that with water that hard ( like mine also ) I never had good luck lowering the ph using natural things, I use driftwood, and almond leaves in most of my tanks anyway, and tried adding sphagnum moss, and peat beads designed for aquarium use, in my filters, to the point of staining the water almost to ice tea color, without any marked change in the ph, with the calcium hardness so high…
I ended up adding an RO unit just for my aquariums, but am in the process of running a separate line of well water to blend water for live bearers and shrimp tanks

 

[TwoTankAmin]

My well water is soft and neutral pH. Many well tend to have water with a high CO2 content. This acts to lower the pH. When the water comes out of the tap and has time to outgas. Then the co2 level goes to normal and the pH rises to its natural level which is higher.

Colin_T hit it on the head as to your solution. The other option is just to stick with fish that will thrive your well water parameters.

 

[Flowerfairy13]

The GH and KH are too high for Corydoras, gouramis and bristlenose but is great for mollies, swordtails and guppies.

To low the GH and KH, mix half rainwater, distilled water or reverse osmosis with the tap water to get a lower GH, KH and pH for the other fishes.

Ideally you want two aquariums, one for the livebearers who can have straight well water. The other aquarium is for the catfish and gouramis and that can have a mix of r/o, rain or distilled mixed with well water.

Thank you so much Colin. It's so bizarre because my Corys are thriving, I have always successfully kept Corys and some of mine are almost 4 years old. It's the guppies that don't seem to be thriving, and they are the ones I have read appreciate hard water the most.

 

[Flowerfairy13]

My well water is soft and neutral pH. Many well tend to have water with a high CO2 content. This acts to lower the pH. When the water comes out of the tap and has time to outgas. Then the co2 level goes to normal and the pH rises to its natural level which is higher.

Colin_T hit it on the head as to your solution. The other option is just to stick with fish that will thrive your well water parameters.

Thank you so much

 

[Flowerfairy13]

Agree with all posted so far… except that with water that hard ( like mine also ) I never had good luck lowering the ph using natural things, I use driftwood, and almond leaves in most of my tanks anyway, and tried adding sphagnum moss, and peat beads designed for aquarium use, in my filters, to the point of staining the water almost to ice tea color, without any marked change in the ph, with the calcium hardness so high…
I ended up adding an RO unit just for my aquariums, but am in the process of running a separate line of well water to blend water for live bearers and shrimp tanks

Thank you very much! I am going to look into an RO unit for my tanks!