Gh And Kh

[JonesyJ666]

How do you lower these? I know the strips arent a good measure but are even reading high on them.
 
I have just bought a 6ft tank and i'm just cycling it now with no fish. been 6 days and the GH and KH hasnt moved!
 
Thank you

 

[Zante]

GH and KH are a measure of dissolved minerals in the water, there is no reason they should change just because of cycling.

If you want to lower them the only option is to use water that is softer than the one you have, usually RO water which is almost completely devoid of minerals.

 

[JonesyJ666]

thanks zante, but im not paying for RO time and time again? is there anything i can put in the water to bring these down?

 

[Lunar Jetman]

thanks zante, but im not paying for RO time and time again? is there anything i can put in the water to bring these down?

You can get stuff but you'll need to continuously do it every time you change your water. Why do you want to change this? I really wouldn't bother personally.

 

[JonesyJ666]

cos its read close on 20d for gh which is too high and kh is 21d
I do nt wanna put fish in there for them to start dieing after a week or so

 

[DrRob]

Are you in a hard water area? Some people have water like this coming out of their taps, and tend to do very well with hard water species, of which there are many fascinating options.
 
Others do very well with a lot of the farm bred fish. Most LFS will run most of their tanks on tap water, so if they're nearby they're likely to be on similar water.
 
The other option, if you have softer water coming out of the tap, is that you have something in the tank hardening up the water, which is frequently substrates and occasionally decorations such as rocks, but sometimes less expected things like the plaster bases on some plastic plants.

So, tell us what your tap water is like, and if that's the problem then either 1, look at the great selection out there of hard water fish, 2, see what the LFS are happily keeping in similar water, or 3 elect to mess with water.
 
As I've been known to say before, if you mess with water then be prepared to keep doing it long term.

 

[JonesyJ666]

this is how its coming out of the tap

 

[DrRob]

then you're onto those 3 options. Personally I'd go for a chat with the LFS to see what they're keeping but to also take a look at hard water fish and see what catches your eye.

 

[Zante]

Agreed, first look at what fish will live happily in that water, only then consider altering your water if you aren't happy with those.

Also regarding RO water, that is the price to pay if you want to lower hardness. To reduce the minerals you have to dilute them.
On a 6 foot tank, though, i'd get myself an RO unit. It won't take long to recoup on the investment with a tank that size.