I will try to keep this simple....First, I know my main problem is very high KH, which also means very high PH. We have had aquariums in the past with much less trouble.
But my uncle decided about a month ago, I think, to start a new one, which I am left to care for, as he works out of state for weeks at a time. So he got a 20g tank, ran it for 24 hours or so, which I now know was not enough, then he got a bunch of fish, which most died by next day.
We ended up with 4 tetras, 1 guppy, 2 cory catfish, & a snail. All this time, I have tried to get the PH down, with no success at all. A friend - with experience - suggested adding a little aquarium salt. I apparently didn't give him enough details. By the next day, all had died except 1 tetra & the guppy. I didn't know the catfish & snail couldn't handle the salt at all, or I would not have used it.
So he realized my water was too hard, & suggested to test & get a water softener pillow. I was told at a pet supply store to use a KH test, but I didn't know about GH until now. It took over a week to get the pillow, & so I put it in last night, after a 50% water change & a little cleaning. Now before this, my levels were:
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
GH - 300, very hard
KH - 300, high
PH - 8.4, same as it has been
Today:
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 3.0, stress level
GH - 75, soft
KH - 300, still the same
PH - 8.4, still no change
And yeah, tap water measures the same on KH. And there is a lot of lime in our water, & the water filter apparently doesn't help much. I did take the pillow out, btw. And I did a smaller water change to hopefully help lower the Nitrites.
So, what is causing me a lot of stress is obviously the high KH, since I know PH won't go down until KH does. After lots of research, I am still not sure what to do. There are too many options, with too many varying opinions. I can not afford an RO filter, & I don't want to use almond leaves or peat because of it changing the water color, which my uncle wouldn't like or understand it's okay. And also, I don't think it would be effective enough. My thought is to use distilled water, regardless of the long-term cost - maybe can do something different later.
But, if I use distilled water - which one? And how? Can I do small water changes, replacing with distilled water every other day, so that most minerals, etc, will still be there, or will I have to add something? And if I do small changes, how much, or what ratio?
My uncle wants more fish, & I am trying to hold him off until I can fix the water, so don't want it to take forever. Also, I need catfish, at least, to help keep the tank clean, but I am worried about even getting those right now.
So really, any help would be greatly appreciated.
But my uncle decided about a month ago, I think, to start a new one, which I am left to care for, as he works out of state for weeks at a time. So he got a 20g tank, ran it for 24 hours or so, which I now know was not enough, then he got a bunch of fish, which most died by next day.
We ended up with 4 tetras, 1 guppy, 2 cory catfish, & a snail. All this time, I have tried to get the PH down, with no success at all. A friend - with experience - suggested adding a little aquarium salt. I apparently didn't give him enough details. By the next day, all had died except 1 tetra & the guppy. I didn't know the catfish & snail couldn't handle the salt at all, or I would not have used it.
So he realized my water was too hard, & suggested to test & get a water softener pillow. I was told at a pet supply store to use a KH test, but I didn't know about GH until now. It took over a week to get the pillow, & so I put it in last night, after a 50% water change & a little cleaning. Now before this, my levels were:
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
GH - 300, very hard
KH - 300, high
PH - 8.4, same as it has been
Today:
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 3.0, stress level
GH - 75, soft
KH - 300, still the same
PH - 8.4, still no change
And yeah, tap water measures the same on KH. And there is a lot of lime in our water, & the water filter apparently doesn't help much. I did take the pillow out, btw. And I did a smaller water change to hopefully help lower the Nitrites.
So, what is causing me a lot of stress is obviously the high KH, since I know PH won't go down until KH does. After lots of research, I am still not sure what to do. There are too many options, with too many varying opinions. I can not afford an RO filter, & I don't want to use almond leaves or peat because of it changing the water color, which my uncle wouldn't like or understand it's okay. And also, I don't think it would be effective enough. My thought is to use distilled water, regardless of the long-term cost - maybe can do something different later.
But, if I use distilled water - which one? And how? Can I do small water changes, replacing with distilled water every other day, so that most minerals, etc, will still be there, or will I have to add something? And if I do small changes, how much, or what ratio?
My uncle wants more fish, & I am trying to hold him off until I can fix the water, so don't want it to take forever. Also, I need catfish, at least, to help keep the tank clean, but I am worried about even getting those right now.
So really, any help would be greatly appreciated.
