Update 1: 30 Gallon (6/30/2021)

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Truth_FishGuy

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Jun 19, 2021
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Location
Las Vegas, Nevada
Current stock: 4 Electric Blue Rams, 1 Bristlenose Pleco
pH: 8.0 :eek:
Nitrites: 0 :)
Nitrates: 0 :)
Ammonia: 0 :)
GH: 300+ :eek:
KH: 7 😐
I know some of these numbers are absolutely horrible for the rams (especially the pH [should be between 6.5 to 7.0] and GH [should be 50-100 ppm]) but I'm gonna get everything fixed by Friday. I bought API Proper pH 6.5 to fix the pH and I bought an API Water Softener Pillow to fix the GH. KH is also a little off (should be 3-5 ), but that can be fixed with my weekly water changes. I'm confident that the proper pH stuff will work, but I've never used the water softener pillow. Has anybody here used it before? If so, how good is it? My only grievance with it based on the instructions is that I have to "recharge" it every 2 days, but otherwise it should be a nice, easy solution to the GH problem. The only other solution I know is buying a reverse osmosis filter, but it takes a very long time to make all the water needed for a water change (if I recall correctly it takes 6 hours to make like 15 gallons. Correct me if I'm wrong). Other than that, everything's looking good!
As for the fish themselves, they're all doing very well. The rams are doing just fine even in water conditions that aren't the most ideal. They look absolutely gorgeous, so much so that everyone that's looked at the tank so far has complimented them. The bristlenose is a little shy, but he seems to be doing just fine too. Based on how they're doing right now, I'm very confident the rams will make it to Friday. Once I get the water conditions dealt with, I'll add some tank mates! (6 sterbai corys and 6 cardinal tetras).
I'm hoping to make semi-weekly updates for this tank and my 50 gallon tank (once it gets cleaned up. It's going through an algae bloom). I'm just glad I have somewhere to post about fish stuff!
 

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I would not use either the pH chemical or the pillow.


The water softener pillows add sodium to the water which is not good for soft water fish.
The water softener pillow reduces GH but not KH. If KH remains high, no matter how much pH reducing chemical you add, the KH will resist it and the pH will bounce back. A fluctuating pH is not good for fish.

The only way to lower your GH is to use a source of pure water - reverse osmosis, deinoised, distilled or even rainwater if there's no air pollution and you have enough rainfall.
It can be used to mix with your tap water to lower the GH - in your case it would need to be one third tap water and two thirds pure water - or all pure water with some remineralisation salts added.

If GH and KH are reduced using pure water, pH will also lower.
 
I agree with @Essjay , things are better left alone. And never use chemicals to adjust any of the parameters (GH, KH, pH), they are fraught with dangers.

"Adaptation" of soft water fish to harder water is a very complicated issue. Dealing solely with the two species mentioned, blue rams and cardinal tetra, you are best leaving the GH and pH alone. This would not work for many soft water species, and certainly not for wild caught fish, but both of these fish are and have been commercially raised for many years now. The "electric blue" ram is a developed variety of the wild fish. And the cardinal tetras available in the UK I suspect are raised in Germany or thereabouts.
 
I would not use either the pH chemical or the pillow.


The water softener pillows add sodium to the water which is not good for soft water fish.
The water softener pillow reduces GH but not KH. If KH remains high, no matter how much pH reducing chemical you add, the KH will resist it and the pH will bounce back. A fluctuating pH is not good for fish.

The only way to lower your GH is to use a source of pure water - reverse osmosis, deinoised, distilled or even rainwater if there's no air pollution and you have enough rainfall.
It can be used to mix with your tap water to lower the GH - in your case it would need to be one third tap water and two thirds pure water - or all pure water with some remineralisation salts added.

If GH and KH are reduced using pure water, pH will also lower.
Thanks for the heads up man. I just almost made a really big mistake. I’ll try to see if I can grab some distilled water by the time I do my next water change so I can lower the GH. If I do a 25% water change for this tank, how many gallons of distilled water will I need? I think I'm gonna go for the 1/3 tap and 2/3 pure instead of trying out remineralisation salts.
 
I agree with @Essjay , things are better left alone. And never use chemicals to adjust any of the parameters (GH, KH, pH), they are fraught with dangers.

"Adaptation" of soft water fish to harder water is a very complicated issue. Dealing solely with the two species mentioned, blue rams and cardinal tetra, you are best leaving the GH and pH alone. This would not work for many soft water species, and certainly not for wild caught fish, but both of these fish are and have been commercially raised for many years now. The "electric blue" ram is a developed variety of the wild fish. And the cardinal tetras available in the UK I suspect are raised in Germany or thereabouts.
What about the sterbai corys? Would they be fine if I got them, or should I wait until I lower the GH using essjay's method?
 
What about the sterbai corys? Would they be fine if I got them, or should I wait until I lower the GH using essjay's method?

I really wouldn't mess with adjusting parameters here (Corydoras sterbai should manage, they too will not be wild caught). It creates a lot of work as you will need to prepare water outside the aquarium for every water change.
 
I really wouldn't mess with adjusting parameters here (Corydoras sterbai should manage, they too will not be wild caught). It creates a lot of work as you will need to prepare water outside the aquarium for every water change.
Alright I’ll just leave things be. Thanks for the advice!
 

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