Water Hardness Issue

[SusanK]

Hi Again

Aftyer all your advice I got an API Master test kit and a KH/GH API test kit and tested my water. Results are
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
pH 7.2- 7.6
Hi range pH - 7.4
KH - 51 ppm
GH - OFF THE SCALE - Had to put in 21 drops which I reckon is circa 260ppm.
My tap water tested <17 ppm for GH
So I now suspect my coloured gravel as the culprit. It appears to be bits of real rock/stone rather than plastic or composite material. Question is, should I leave it alone? Fish seem fine, only lost 1 RAM and 1 tetra since May. I have 2 plants in Terracotta pots as sold by PAH, and 2 in little plastic baskets weighted with plant weights, could the terracotta be a problem?
If I did want to change the gravel, what is the procedure vis a vis holding tank, cycling the new gravel, how quickly can I change over etc.
As usual all input is gratefully received.
Sue

 

[waterdrop]

It would be interesting to see some further tests. I think the members would be interested in all the same tests done on the tap water and perhaps two jars, one with a layer of your gravel in the bottom and one without, tested periodically over a couple of weeks.

Its probably in your other threads but you don't state your tank size or situation, although you've had fish since at least May it looks like...

~~waterdrop~~

 

[KittyKat]

Ditto waterdrop. Keep an eye on those rams, they really should be kept in soft, acidic water!

 

[ALW]

IMO the gravel is the problem 260ppm is bang in the middle of "fairly hard water" (210ppm-320ppm)

 

[SusanK]

It would be interesting to see some further tests. I think the members would be interested in all the same tests done on the tap water and perhaps two jars, one with a layer of your gravel in the bottom and one without, tested periodically over a couple of weeks.

Its probably in your other threads but you don't state your tank size or situation, although you've had fish since at least May it looks like...

~~waterdrop~~

Ok, jam jar experiment underway!

 

[waterdrop]

It would be interesting to see some further tests. I think the members would be interested in all the same tests done on the tap water and perhaps two jars, one with a layer of your gravel in the bottom and one without, tested periodically over a couple of weeks.

Its probably in your other threads but you don't state your tank size or situation, although you've had fish since at least May it looks like...

~~waterdrop~~

Ok, jam jar experiment underway!

OK, good, and be aware that the jam jar part is really less interesting than the tap (or whatever your source is) water tests, so I'd go ahead and post those up whenever your liquid tests get revved up.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

A high GH with a low KH means that you have lots of minerals in the water but not much to buffer the pH. Where that leaves you is with water that soft water fish will not like much but hard water fish will not like how easily the pH will change. The suggestions about an experiment to decide where the problem lies is essential. Your posted tap water measurement seems to indicate that these conditions are not the result of bad tap water so the tests for what it is that effects the water is essential to correcting the problem. Once we figure out what is pushing the GH so high, we can try to suggest what to do about it.

 

[SusanK]

It would be interesting to see some further tests. I think the members would be interested in all the same tests done on the tap water and perhaps two jars, one with a layer of your gravel in the bottom and one without, tested periodically over a couple of weeks.

Its probably in your other threads but you don't state your tank size or situation, although you've had fish since at least May it looks like...

~~waterdrop~~

Hi there
I did the test whereby I had a jar of tapwater, a jar of tapwater plus gravel, a jar of tapwater & terracotta pots. After 8 days and using my API wet chemical test kits there was no change in the water hardness at all!!!!! It was still as soft as when it came out of the tap >17ppm GH
On a recommendation I found a new LFS in Kidsgrove who were extremely helpful and validated my results with their test kits. I got some more plants - not in terracotta pots, and did a 30 % water change. After 5 days the GH is now down from 260ppm to 200ppm. I think I will keep doing a large water change until the results are more normal. I suspect the hardness has been in the tank since I set it up and only the large water changes make a difference. All other params are normal & fish seem happy including the 2 Gold Rams.
Maybe the GH is making me more stressed than the fish!!!!
Sue

 

[waterdrop]

Maybe 8 days in the jam jars is not enough time. How long was the tank set up before you started getting these tank numbers we're seeing?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

Something just occurred to me that didn't the first time. It is possible that before you started this thread you had just been adding water for evaporation instead of removing water first. If you do that, the minerals in the tap water will gradually accumulate and the mineral content of the tank can go way up even with almost no minerals in the tap water. If you have yourself in that corner, a few weekly 20% water changes will get things back to a more normal situation. Once you are there, you can keep things close to tap[ water conditions by continuing the 20% weekly water changes. You never want to just add water to a tank, instead remove some befoer adding enough back to fill the tank. Today I will pull about 20 gallons from my 125 but need to add back almost 35 gallons when I am done. I can tell by how low my water level is, at about 15 gallons missing.