Hardness Test Results

[Yanks15]

I just picked up an API test kit for GH @ KH. I've tried to read some posts on here about reading the results and determining the if they are ok for my tanks. Please correct me if I am wrong......take results of GH test- amount of drops to get right color- and add to KH results- same procees= total ppm GH/KH. Correct?

Tank example- GH-4 + KH-1 = 5ppm GH/KH Correct?

Is this right and is the KH level a concern?

This is a 10gal fresh water community tank w/ 11 fish - 7 BNT, 2 Guppies, 2 Honey Gourami.

Any input would be appreciated

Thanks.

 

[OldMan47]

OK, you get your wish, you are wrong. The drop count is how hard the water is in those units. If you get 5 drops for GH, then the general hardness is 5 german degrees. If you get 3 drops using the KH test, you have 3 german degrees of Karbonate hardness. If you add the numbers together you have a meaningless number. Each test tells you something different about the water. The GH gives a rough reading of how much dissolved solids you have in the water but is designed to specifically measure the concentration of calcium and magnesium ions. If you have sodium or other metal ions, the GH should not measure them. The KH is intended to measure the carbonate hardness which is how well the water will buffer pH against an acid. The higher the KH, the harder it will be to make the pH move down by adding a small dose of acid such as you get when ammonia is processed to become nitrates. The KH is about pH stability while the GH is about hardness the way we think of when we say a fish is a soft water or hard water fish.

 

[Yanks15]

OldMan, you must be the genie of the lamp I obviously don't quite understand the process of how to read the results. The instructions that came with the test didn't exactly explain how to read the results. They seem to assume that the user is a chemistry major, of which I'm clearly not. Or do the somewhat obvious which is totally wrong. Is it OK if you could explain my results as they pertain to the conversion chart included w/ the kit? This would be VERY helpful

Thank you for knowledge.

 

[OldMan47]

If you actually got a 4 for GH and a 1 for KH, you have very soft water that will change pH at the drop of a hat. That is about as simple as I can make it. That water would be fine for things like neons or cories but I would not put a molly in it. I am no chemistry major either but I seldom forget things that I have read. That means my head is cluttered with a lot of useless, and a little bit of useful, information.

The conversion chart is so that you can read the results in ppm instead of degrees. Since we all work with degrees, there is no need to convert the reading. It is about 17 ppm per degree if I remember right but it is not a number I ever expect to use. (more useless information)

 

[Yanks15]

That is EXACTLY what I was looking for I guess I now know why everytime I check my water, the pH is different even though I do the same routine. Is there a safe way to correct these readings? I have 2 tanks w/ same readings- KH-1, GH-4. The afore mentioned community tank and a Goldfish tank. My guess is that the water is too soft. My tap is KH-2, GH-4.

Thanks for keeping it simple.

 

[OldMan47]

Any attempt to "correct" the GH and KH will result in higher pH. If that is OK for the fish that you have, it can be done by putting some crushed shell or crushed coral in the filter flow path. The KH and GH and pH will all rise after you do that.

 

[Yanks15]

After reading thru the info sheet w/ kit, they do give ways to adjust each one individually. As a rule, should both KH & GH be the same? Do you advise attempting to alter one or the other? All fish have been in tanks for a few months and seem just fine. I'm more concerned with the pH moving all the time.

Thanks for your input.

 

[OldMan47]

If the fish are all healthy, I would leave well enough alone.

 

[Yanks15]

I'm thinking that way too! Thanks for your help.

 

[waterdrop]

Sounds like Chapel Hill water. I get by with larger percentage changes on the weekend, but crushed coral is often in the back of my mind...

 

[Yanks15]

I actually talked to someone at LFS and they said to add some crushed coral to my filter. The way I see it, if they all seem healthy and they have been in these conditions for some time now, I probably won't change anything. Unless someone here KNOWS what is occuring is bad for my fish!!!

Waterdrop, have you had a chance to check out any more shops around Raleigh yet?

 

[waterdrop]

I actually talked to someone at LFS and they said to add some crushed coral to my filter. The way I see it, if they all seem healthy and they have been in these conditions for some time now, I probably won't change anything. Unless someone here KNOWS what is occuring is bad for my fish!!!

Waterdrop, have you had a chance to check out any more shops around Raleigh yet?

Are you kidding? Its summer and the wife would kill me if I strayed that far from van duty, lol.

WD

 

[Yanks15]

Understood Mine would actually rather I went out instead of sitting around reading these threads My work is pretty slow now so she's forming the "honey-do list" Might not get much time on here for a while I'll sneak in though