GH help required...PLEASE

[danmorin]

Hi,
I just purchased a 12g tank for my kids and have a couple questions since I am new at this and don't have a clue. I got it all set up and running with rocks, plastic plants, heater, etc and no fish. I let it run for 2 days and then brought a water sample into the pet store. They said everything looked good except ph was a little high and my water was extremely soft. No surprise since I have a well and the water is run through a water softener, sediment filter and alkilinity neutralizer. They told me to add a 1/4 tablespoon of epson salt and get it retested in a couple days. I sprinkled in the 1/4 TB of salt last night. Was I supposed to do it that way or should it have been mixed with water and poured in? Also, does their advice sound legit?

Thanks in advance for anything anyone can offer.

:help:

 

[liv2padl]

I let it run for 2 days and then brought a water sample into the pet store. They said everything looked good

read through these links to gain an understanding of the 'cycle' your filter needs to undergo. your water "looked good" because your tank has no fish and no source of ammonia with which to start that 'cycle'.

http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/start_up/start_up4.html

http://fish.orbust.net/cycling.html

ph was a little high

without an actual number, there's no way to know whether in fact your ph is high or not. regardless, whatever that number turns out to be, it's most probably not "high" at all and is perfectly fine for most fish you may buy.

I have a well and the water is run through a water softener, sediment filter and alkilinity neutralizer.

if there's a way to bipass this softener, neutralizer and filter, your water will be better for your fish.

They told me to add a 1/4 tablespoon of epson salt and get it retested in a couple days. I sprinkled in the 1/4 TB of salt last night

epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. adding this to your water will increase the gH of your tank water. when you say you added 'salt' last night, do you mean epsom salt or other salt such as table salt? NEVER sprinkle ANY kind of chemical, salt or otherwise, directly into the tank water. always predissolve it in some tank water first.

 

[danmorin]

Thanks much

 

[danmorin]

when you say you added 'salt' last night, do you mean epsom salt or other salt such as table salt? NEVER sprinkle ANY kind of chemical, salt or otherwise, directly into the tank water. always predissolve it in some tank water first.

It was Epson salt I put in. Should I add more predissolved or do you think sprinkling this one time will be OK?

 

[TheMightyQueenPixie]

Ditch the epsom salt and use your bypass on the softener. Dead simple. Epsom salt is a diuretic that can kill fish if not done correctly... Not something to mess with unless you know exactly what you are doing.

Not sure what the LFS was testing for since there was nothing in the tank.
Unless you live 100 miiles away from the LFS you probably have the exact same water as the LFS. They are already acclimated to that, so just hit the bypass and fill er up!

 

[liv2padl]

by adding magnesium sulfate, you're increasing the gH of your water, but doing nothing for the kH (carbonate hardness). the latter is what gives your water its chemical stability, something which fish require for long term health. the best environment for your fish is water containing a moderate gH and kH ... which sounds like it can be achieved by bi-passing your water softener.

the problem with ion exchange softeners such as yours is that it replaces sodium for calcium and magnesium. this is fine for spots on your sink and for doing laundry, but since fish don't do laundry, it doesn't have a positive impact on them.

rather, since ion chemistry dictates that two sodium ions are needed to replace one calcium or magnesium ion, your water actually ends up technically "harder" rather than 'softer' as measured by total dissolved solids. the increase in sodium will not be welcomed by your fish.

bottom line, i'd suggest you bipass the water softener to fill your tank. before doing your next water change however, bear in mind that any rapid changes in chemistry may negatively impact your fish. fill up a bucket with water which has bipassed the filter and measure the gH, kH and pH. come back with the numbers.

get your own test kits .. it's not a good idea to leave such testing to the local fish guys since they may use expired test solutions or not know how to use the ones they have.

once we know what your actual water chemistry is, we can better assess what you should do to manage your tank.

 

[danmorin]

I will test some bypassed water and come back with the numbers.

Thanks.

 

[wataugachicken]

Unless you live 100 miiles away from the LFS you probably have the exact same water as the LFS. They are already acclimated to that, so just hit the bypass and fill er up!

not always true, unfortunately. an LFS near me uses R/O water on their saltwater AND freshwater tanks. they don't have anything posted at the store, found out after digging through the website. they recommend a 30-45 minute acclimation.
you should ask how they treat the water, just in case. . .

 

[jgulecas]

Another thing a good LFS should do, but none of the ones around me do.

A good LFS should:

1. Post a sign saying what kind of water they keep their fish in and what the general parameters are.

2. Note the date that they received each shipment of fish on the tank.

3. Not keep fish in tanks with plants for sale.

None of the LFS's around here do any of the above.

 

[TheMightyQueenPixie]

not always true, unfortunately. an LFS near me uses R/O water on their saltwater AND freshwater tanks. they don't have anything posted at the store, found out after digging through the website. they recommend a 30-45 minute acclimation.
you should ask how they treat the water, just in case. . .

\

They must have one h3ll of a huge RO unit for all those tanks... Although possible, it makes no sense at all to be using such an expensive system that at the end of the day does little to benefit most of their stock... I have NEVER seen an LFS that runs RO through stock tanks...It would cost a fortune.