KH dropped

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guppy78

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Hi, so I finally set up my bigger tank and planted it etc (still waiting to add fish) and checked my parameters which were:

Gh 120 down from 180
Kh 0 down from 80
Ph 6.5 down from 7
no2 and no3 0

My question is the 0 Kh, is this ok? if not how can I raise it?

thanks :)
 

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What exactly do you mean when you say "dropped from"?
What is the substrate?
What fish are you planning to keep?
How certain are you about the accuracy of your readings.

Zero KH isn't neccessarily a problem if your pH is stable. I would be a little concerned if it is changing on both counts and would not be adding fish until you have a stable environment..
 
What exactly do you mean when you say "dropped from"?
What is the substrate?
What fish are you planning to keep?
How certain are you about the accuracy of your readings.

Zero KH isn't neccessarily a problem if your pH is stable. I would be a little concerned if it is changing on both counts and would not be adding fish until you have a stable environment..


oh sry, when i say dropped from i meant from my last reading last week in my smaller tank, the plants were 50 assorted from amazon and the substrate is tetra complete, mainly gonna be keeping tetras and rasboros and im pretty sure the reading is correct, thanks :)
 
The KH is dropping because of the acid pH. The nitric acids in the water (produced by fish waste, etc) are being neutralised by the carbonate hardness. The acid water is also using the KH.

If you keep fish that naturally occur in acid water, then you don't need to add anything to increase the KH as long as the pH remains stable. However, if the pH continues to drop, then you need to add KH buffer (available from pet shops).
 
I would suggest that the Tetra Plant Complete Substrate is also a factor here, given that it is (according to the info on the Tetra site) "black peat with a high content of humic components."

You also need to know the parameters for your source water, not water in an aquarium, for an accurate comparison. The biology of each aquarium can factor in and levels may not be the same. Test the tap water on its own for GH, KH and pH. Remember to out-gas CO2 when testing tap water for pH (not necessary with aquarium water).

I certainly agree that if you keep soft water species, most of them will be fine without any GH/KH.
 
cheers guys, ill do another test tomorrow or before i buy any more fish and check if the ph is stable, if not ill buy the kh buffer
 
cheers guys, ill do another test tomorrow or before i buy any more fish and check if the ph is stable, if not ill buy the kh buffer

This is not safe, nor is it the right approach. First determine the GH/KH/pH of your source water as this is your starting point. Second, what fish species are intended? My GH/KH is zero, and the pH does what it wants, lowering in each aquarium to the stable level where it stays, for years. This is what you want, stability; as soon as you begin adding something to "buffer" you are making things more complicated and risking the fish.
 
This is not safe, nor is it the right approach. First determine the GH/KH/pH of your source water as this is your starting point. Second, what fish species are intended? My GH/KH is zero, and the pH does what it wants, lowering in each aquarium to the stable level where it stays, for years. This is what you want, stability; as soon as you begin adding something to "buffer" you are making things more complicated and risking the fish.


just tetras and rasboros ill be keeping, the Gh in tapwater was 180 and the kh was around 80 ph was 7, i figured it was adding all my plants whats lowered the numbers
 
Its far more likely to be the substrate as Byron and Colin suggest. I would hold off and test pH daily to ensure it has settled to its final value.
 
will do, thanks a lot all..its good to learn, Ive learned tonnes already just from this forum so it really is appreciated, ill keep testing the ph before even thinking about introducing more fish
 

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