Acceptable water parameters

[wickette]

My tank, 50g currently half full, appears cycled (1 fish in there).

QUESTION : My Kh is low, which explains the pH swing. is this much change acceptable or should I add a buffer?
(fish Im getting all prefer softer water @ ph of 6.5-7.0)

Ammonia: between 0 and 0.25ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: between10-20ppm
pH of new water: 6.90
pH of tank after 8 days: 6.70
KH: 30ppm
GH: 130ppm

 

[fishorama]

IME a KH & GH of 3 or 4ppm is ok to keep everything stable. What are your tap water parameters? How often & how much water do you change? Those are important numbers....

 

[tanker]

What fishes do you plan on keeping?

 

[wickette]

IME a KH & GH of 3 or 4ppm is ok to keep everything stable. What are your tap water parameters? How often & how much water do you change? Those are important numbers....

tap water parameters are the same 3drops for the API KH test to change color (1-3 drops=0-50ppm kh), this is the first water change with the test kit, still just have the one big fat comet keeping the cycle going. That pH swing was from 8 days of not changing the water with the one fish. 40% water change brough it back to tap water parameters.

 

[wickette]

What fishes do you plan on keeping?

Mostly south american species they all prefer softer water ph 6.5-7

 

[Rbishop]

Mostly south american species they all prefer softer water ph 6.5-7

Wild caught or bought in the states? Parameters listed as ideal in most reference material reflect natural habitats, not farm/breeder raised conditions.

 

[wickette]

Wild caught or bought in the states? Parameters listed as ideal in most reference material reflect natural habitats, not farm/breeder raised conditions.

Good to know, Ive always lived outside NYC, this is the first home Ive had where the pH is not ph7.6 / 350ppm+ gh. Here the tap water is pH 6.9-7.0, 110-140gh out of the tap. Which is why im going for softer water species Ive never been able to own before.

Im getting 6 zebra golden loaches,best as I know is those are always wild caught, also getting 8 bleeding heart tetra those guys are usually wild caught, but cant be sure where theyre coming from pet supplies plus. Thats 70% of my stock, everything else is captive bred.

 

[fishorama]

Oops, I see I said 3-4 ppm, that should have been GDH (German degrees of hardness). Sorry

 

[wickette]

Oops, I see I said 3-4 ppm, that should have been GDH (German degrees of hardness). Sorry

I assumed you didnt mean ppm, my water is closer 2°GH. Its lower than ideal but maybe not so low that its worth fussing chemicals in the water. Maybe Ill just steal 10 gallons of water from my parents house each monthly visit (high gh and kh), and use 15% of that water with each change

 

[fishorama]

According to your first post it's KH that is low. I wouldn't call GH of 130ppm low, low-ish maybe but fine. You can use regular baking soda to boost KH, but you don't want to cause a roller coaster effect, that's hard on fish.

You want 3 or 4 GDH without a lot of fluctuation. You'll need to experiment a bit, go slow & test a lot. Start with maybe 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda & see how much that raises KH...& how long that lasts, a couple days? A week? If that's not enough try, say, a teaspoon.

Personally, if my tap water has "enough" KH I've sometimes just done water changes rather than goofing around with testing & dosing...but that doesn't always work, I've had "seasonal" tap water at times. You might too, it can depend on your water source at various times; snow melt, reservoirs or deep wells...all can be different.

You just need to get into a routine...I wish I was a better, more regular tester...but I'm not