dH, gH, kH ?? meanings

[Mystroe_TheMyst]

info...

how to regulate and change levels?

I think one refers to the heat....

thanks guys, I've read about and learnt it once before...but as the saying goes...you don't use it, you lose it.

like my mind I'm losing it...:P

thanks in advance

[RTR]

GH refers to to the calcium and magnesium content ("hardness") of the water.

KH refers to the alkalinity (buffering ability) or carbonate content (unfortunately aka "hardness") of the water.

The lower case "d" is just shorthand for "degrees", translating as the equivalent of 17.86 mg/l CaCO3 per degree.

[famman]

Tom Griffin's definitive article on gh pH kh,

http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquasource/hardwater.shtml

good luck
:)

[RTR]

Uhmm, the article is in Tom's AquaSource e-zine, but he was not the author.

I am however delighted you think it solid, even though it is more than a bit heavy.

[JSchmidt]

You know Robert, your sense of modesty is quite charming. But famman and other should know that you are the author of that article. God knows that anyone who can make chemistry understandable should get some credit!

Also, you must request that Tom edit that paper so your authorshiop is more apparent. Your name is buried between the body of the text and the footnotes. You need a byline!

Thanks, though, for the fine article...

Jim

[famman]

Ummmm... I knew that, it clearly states at the bottom that it's written by Robert T. Ricketts, I meant to attribute the web site. Gee, the initials are RTR, I presume that is more than a coincidence.
good luck
:)

[RTR]

The authorship is plain on the magazine issue when new, and when archived (which that one is not yet - we do have a problem there). But back in the dark ages I added my name as a signature line, which is part of the text and so appears over the endnotes in Word. I try to remember not to sign anymore, but I sometimes forget.

I really did that one just to please myself - I thought it not be popular or helpful to anyone without at least some chemistry background - I am delighted it helps and gets referenced by folks other than me. That sort of thing is too complex for a post IMHO.

One huge advantage of writing for AquaSource is that I can do what I want, when I want, the way I want. If they fall flat, mea culpa. If they are popular, they help the site.

fanman: when I originally came to the fishy part of the web, I was very un-imaginative and just used my initials.

[Mystroe_TheMyst]

Thanks for the site...I may have to wait until i'm in an attentative mood to read it...

how would I go about changing my dH to 12...I think its 12 I want it to be at....I read it somewhere...for my blue acaras...

if its on the website please excuse my ignorance...Its quite late and I must read the site another time

[RTR]

In general, don't do water modification if you can possibly avoid it.

Fish are quite adaptable and adjust easily to local water conditions for maintnance. Some fish from "edge" conditions - the extremes of natural waters (very soft acid blackwater or at the other extreme, Rift Lake Cichlids or brackish water fish) may require conditions close to their native situation for breeding, but even those are less likely to need modification for maintenance - the eggs are more senstitive than the adult fish by a wide margin.

The first question is then, do I really need different water conditions?

The next question is what do I have now for pH (of aged tap, not freshly drawn water), KH, and GH?

The third question is, am I willing to do the modification in separate vessels before adding the water to the tank? In-tank water modifications are stressful for fish - stability is more important than the exact reading.

[Mystroe_TheMyst]

ok I won't change it...all I will do is lower the pH

It will sit at 7. but they are doing well so far. I guess if its more trouble thans its worth then I may just steer clear.

thanks for the feed back