Ph,gh,kh

[amf17]

After some research, I think finally understand how ph, kh, and gh interact (somewhat). My tap water has nothing in it though
gh and kh are both 0ppm and ph is around 7.0

Obviously I need to add something to my water to bring up the hardness levels... i just don't know what levels to aim for.

I am keeping livebearers and know they like medium to medium hard water gh = 200ppm +

But at what level should i adjust my kh? I've heard that keeping your kh equal to your gh is optimal... so does that mean bring them both up to about 200ppm?

What affects do these levels have on the fish??? and what is the proper method of adjusting them??

Thanks

 

[amf17]

another quick question... do gh and kh both affect plants??? or does just gh matter to them??

 

[andywg]

I know the OP didn't start this here so none of the following is aimed at them, but is this really a scientific forum question? The question seems to be more about what levels are good for fish and keeping them rather than an in depth look at publishes articles on the science behind this.

I am somewhat perplexed as to why a mod would send this into this section.

 

[CFC]

I figured that the question was more likely to be seen by someone who knows a bit about water chemistry here than it was in the Tropical Discussion forum where it would have been pushed off the page before it got any answers.

 

[steelhealr]

We'll give it a day or so..then bump it up and move it out. SH

 

[steelhealr]

bump

 

[Tobigara]

baking soda. i have a similar situation where i live. ph=7 kh=0 gh=7-8
I was told the best way to raise your kh/gh without raising your ph too much is baking soda. i was also told that 1 teaspoon per 10-13 gallons will raise your kh to 4 without any change to your ph. this was not so for me. it took some time but i figured that using 1/2 tsp per 10 gallons raises kh to 2-3 and ph to 7.2-7.4. i have nw cichlids so i didn't want to go any higher than that.

i also tried using crushed coral. it worked but it would swing my ph around from week to week, which isn't good.

i'm sorry that i can only answer one of your questions. i hope i've helped a little bit

 

[OldMan47]

The baking soda approach should work for you. With livebearers, the pH is best between 7 and 8 depending on which ones you have but most are not very picky about it. The biggest real concern is that the KH is high enough to prevent wild pH swings. Even 100 ppm should do the trick there as it will give you enough buffering capability. Once you have dosed and achieved the values that you want, you need to write down where you ended up. this will be important information for future water changes. If you ended up using a teaspoon for 20 gallons, then you need to use 1/4 of that when you replace 5 gallons. It also means that eyeballing how much water you change will no longer be accurate enough, you will need to actually know how much to get your concentration right.