My tank PH + KH are both high, but my GH is very low??

[100suno]

This is my first post here. My 30 gallon (almost finished cycling) has the ph of 7.8, kh 6 and gh 2-3. I tested twice just to make sure.

My tap water ph is really high - around 8 so I decided to add some almond leaves to lower the ph. My ph levels were acceptable but my kh turned way to low and I ended up adding some crushed coral. I managed to get them both to okay levels. However I'm not sure why my gh is low... perhaps it was the leaves I added??

I tested my tap water gh too and it was completely different from my tank. My tap water measured 6 dh (100ppm). I'm going to keep livebearers and corydoras in this tank. Do you guys think it would affect them? Should I try and alter it or leave it be?

 

[Essjay]

You have soft water which is suitable for cories but not livebearers.

Personally, with this water I would remove the coral and keep soft water fish. If you want to keep hard water fish you need to add some thing like Rift Lake Cichlid salts. But this must be done outside the tank at every water change, and using tap water with soft water fish is much easier.

 

[100suno]

You have soft water which is suitable for cories but not livebearers.

Personally, with this water I would remove the coral and keep soft water fish. If you want to keep hard water fish you need to add some thing like Rift Lake Cichlid salts. But this must be done outside the tank at every water change, and using tap water with soft water fish is much easier.

correction: i'm moving livebearers... so i don't have much of a choice. do you know why the gh could be so low?

 

[seangee]

Don't try to alter the tap water. As @essjay says it is suitable for cories and many other species like tetras and rasboras.
Try testing the pH of your tap water after leaving it in a glass for 24 hours after coming out of the tap.

 

[100suno]

The most important bit is why... I still can't understand how my gh got so low while my kh and ph are perfectly fine. The tap water gh level is also okay. There should be a reason.

 

[seangee]

GH does not go anywhere - at least not naturally. That is why when people need to soften their water we recommend to mix it with pure water.
What is normal? Is there any chance you have an inconsistent water supply? Things that could influence this are high recent rainfall or drought. Or if a water main pipe has been damaged and your water is temporarily coming from an alternative supply.

If you don't have fish in the tank yet just do a 90-100% water change using de-chlorinated water before adding fish. This won't damage your cycle. After that you should probably test your tap water before every water change until you are certain the supply is consistent.

 

[100suno]

GH does not go anywhere - at least not naturally. That is why when people need to soften their water we recommend to mix it with pure water.
What is normal? Is there any chance you have an inconsistent water supply? Things that could influence this are high recent rainfall or drought. Or if a water main pipe has been damaged and your water is temporarily coming from an alternative supply.

If you don't have fish in the tank yet just do a 90-100% water change using de-chlorinated water before adding fish. This won't damage your cycle. After that you should probably test your tap water before every water change until you are certain the supply is consistent.

Will do, thanks

 

[Byron]

I concur with essjay and seangee. The tap water is obviously soft, with a comparable KH. Even with the minimal changes noted, it is still basically soft water. The pH can be expected to lower as the aquarium establishes, which is not a problem. Provided you keep only fish suited to such water. Livebearers will not last long in this tank. Cories are fine. Most fish from South America and SE Asia will suite the water to a "T".