Hardness and Alkalinity TOO HIGH

[AC2020x]

i have quick dip strips and i used them on my 29 gallon freshwater tank and my ph is high (i put in 3 fuzz ph tabs) and my hardness and alkalinity is high... i dont know how to lower my hardness and alkalinity... i would like the cheapest ways =p

[Lupin]

Get API test kit and retest. Test strips are not always accurate. Why are you altering your water chemistry?

[AC2020x]

that really wasnt very helpful at all

[Mgamer20o0]

having a accurate reading is very helpful...... why do you think its too high? what did the strips tell you?

[247Plants]

First things first.

what is your tap water ph and what is your desired ph?

You can cut tap water with RO to get the correct ph that you are looking for. No need to mess with chemicals.

[GREENFEATHER]

i have quick dip strips and i used them on my 29 gallon freshwater tank and my ph is high (i put in 3 fuzz ph tabs) and my hardness and alkalinity is high... i dont know how to lower my hardness and alkalinity... i would like the cheapest ways =p
Your alkalinity is hold your pH high, like 247 said cut your water with RO water and you'll be able to control your pH better. Otherwise, there are African cichlids. ;)

[AC2020x]

Your alkalinity is hold your pH high, like 247 said cut your water with RO water and you'll be able to control your pH better. Otherwise, there are African cichlids. ;)



what is ro, and my ph is down now that i used those tabs... its mainly my alkalinity and hardness.... i make sure i use water conditioner on my tap water before i put it in the tank

[247Plants]

RO = reverse osmosis. What that means is the water was pushed through a membrane to remove all the dissolved solids in the water.

Water conditioner has no effect whatsoever on the ph, kh or gh of the water its in...

What is the ph of your tap and what is your desired ph? You really need to cover the basics before you go any further.

You should toss those test strips and get a liquid test kit. They are pretty reasonable and much much more accurate. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but if you want to delve into the world of water chemistry you should really know the monster you are up against.

[Mgamer20o0]

how about at least explain why it needs to be lower if you wont tell us what it is now?

[KarlTh]

Lowering pH is treating an insignificant symptom rather than the cause. What are the levels? You're possibly getting concerned over nothing.

[Rbishop]

Please post the pH, hardness and alkalinity of your tap and tank. Also add in the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings of both.

What is the tank stocked with?

If you do not mention what the readings are, it would be foolish of us to give you any recommendations.

[AC2020x]

hardness =300ppm
ph = 8.2 ish
alkalinity is on the 2nd to last thing on the test strip (i forget which one sorry) under the heading "high"

[AC2020x]

RO = reverse osmosis. What that means is the water was pushed through a membrane to remove all the dissolved solids in the water.

Water conditioner has no effect whatsoever on the ph, kh or gh of the water its in...

What is the ph of your tap and what is your desired ph? You really need to cover the basics before you go any further.

You should toss those test strips and get a liquid test kit. They are pretty reasonable and much much more accurate. I know this sounds like a lot of work, but if you want to delve into the world of water chemistry you should really know the monster you are up against.



how do i do reverse osmosis

[AC2020x]

ok i have the exact levels



nitrite -40ppm
nitrite - 0
hardness - 300ppm
alkalinity - 180-300ppm
ph - 8.1-8.4



my fish

red platy
african dwarf frog
angelfish
danios (2)
loach
chinese algae eater



my tank

29 gal with a rock, a sponge filter, a whisper filter, and 2 plants





hopefully thats enough info

[KarlTh]

Absolutely fine. Leave it alone.

[rocker92]

:iagree:

[blue2fyre]

Agreed

Its way better to have stable Ph than constantly trying to lower it and have it raise again.

[mostlycichlids]

What hardness are we talking about GH or KH? I would recommend getting a test tube kit for GH and KH. Hardness is a mix of GH KH and PH so the term Hardness is very vast. Also did you mean the NitRATE was 40 ppm or the NitRITE?

[Turbosaurus]

GH stands for general hardness, its measures Ca and Mg ions in the water. GH has nothing to do with pH.

kH is carbonate hardness, and measures carbonate ions in the water. Carbonate is an alkaline buffer and will keep your pH high.

Naturally high GH water tends to have high KH values also. Ca or Mg ions and carbonate ions have opposite charges and combine readily. They dissolve out of the ground/local rocks into the water. If one is leaching into the ground water the other is probably present too.

Don't mess with the water. Constant levels outside of a fishes recommended range is usually better than causing swings by trying to artificially modify it.

[mostlycichlids]

GH stands for general hardness, its measures Ca and Mg ions in the water. GH has nothing to do with pH.

kH is carbonate hardness, and measures carbonate ions in the water. Carbonate is an alkaline buffer and will keep your pH high.

Naturally high GH water tends to have high KH values also. Ca or Mg ions and carbonate ions have opposite charges and combine readily. They dissolve out of the ground/local rocks into the water. If one is leaching into the ground water the other is probably present too.

Don't mess with the water. Constant levels outside of a fishes recommended range is usually better than causing swings by trying to artificially modify it.

A good read on what GH really does measure and the impact in Physical Hardness... http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/gh_kh_ph.php

[jpappy789]

Don't mess with your water, it shouldn't affect the fish.