Kh And Gh

[Evad]

Hello,

I have a KH test and my KH is 5 degrees or about 85ppm. I am curious if this is good, bad or what? Funny but the test kit doesn't really tell you what ideal is - it just tells you what really bad is (the extremes).

If I have a planted angelfish tank with CO2 will 5 degrees of KH be ok? Please let me know if I need to change it.

I have not tested GH - I am unsure what a GH test does for me except make me aware of a couple of minerals in the tank. Do I really need to know my GH? If so, what is ideal for the tank described above?


Thanks!

 

[Bignose]

There is no optimum. It is all going to depend. Usually, it is most important to keep these numbers constant through frequent water changes. But, a wide variety of fish are very adaptable to a wide variety of conditions. Rapid changes in GH or KH can be stressful to fish, so keeping them relatively constant is important.

Other than that, what would be completely optimum is if you could match the hardness levels in your tank with the fish's natural waters. But, like I said, this isn't anywhere near a requirement for a large number of the species kept by most aquarists. If you are going to try to keep some especially sensitive fish or wild=caught fish, then maybe some changes might be needed, but if the vast majority of cases, you will cause more harm than goos trying to tinker with your water's parameters.

 

[Evad]

THank you