I've got very hard water with a high ph. I've added a little peat moss, drift wood (still leaching a tad) and aquarium salt. It is still hard with a ph of around 8.0. What else can I do?
Very hard water
- Thread starter DevonBlaine
- Start date
you don't give numbers for gH and kH so giving advice on how to lower it is difficult. my initial advice is to do nothing. your water is very likely just fine the way it is out of the tap and messing with the chemistry almost always creates an instability which is far more injurious to fish than a 'high' pH or hardness.
understand too that while elevating gH, kH and pH of water is easy, lowering it is very difficult. typical "hard water" contains calcium and magnesium salts which exist as carbonates. carbonates in solution exhibit a phenomona known as "buffering". when an acid is introduced to a water sample containing carbonates, the carbonates react with the acid and neutralize it, releasing carbon dioxide and a small amount of heat. the CO2 is exhausted at the water surface and the net result is no change in your pH.
simply put, carbonates stabilize the pH as long as they are present in sufficient amounts. when the carbonates become depleted, the pH of your water will plummet rapidly with the introduction of even a small amount of acid, killing fish, plants, and your biofilter. moreover, the chemicals sold for "adjusting" the pH of your water are typically but not necessarily acids of phosphate. they can effect an abundance of algal growth.
while peat can work to lower pH, it's impact is temporary and can be less significant if your kH is very high. driftwood is practically worthless in a very hard water situation.
understand too that while elevating gH, kH and pH of water is easy, lowering it is very difficult. typical "hard water" contains calcium and magnesium salts which exist as carbonates. carbonates in solution exhibit a phenomona known as "buffering". when an acid is introduced to a water sample containing carbonates, the carbonates react with the acid and neutralize it, releasing carbon dioxide and a small amount of heat. the CO2 is exhausted at the water surface and the net result is no change in your pH.
simply put, carbonates stabilize the pH as long as they are present in sufficient amounts. when the carbonates become depleted, the pH of your water will plummet rapidly with the introduction of even a small amount of acid, killing fish, plants, and your biofilter. moreover, the chemicals sold for "adjusting" the pH of your water are typically but not necessarily acids of phosphate. they can effect an abundance of algal growth.
while peat can work to lower pH, it's impact is temporary and can be less significant if your kH is very high. driftwood is practically worthless in a very hard water situation.
What liv2padl says about water chemistry is right. I too live in a hard water region and the only way to amend water chemistry is use a 50:50 ratio of RO water to tap water, although open to experimentation to achieve the levels you desire. Using bogwood, peat etc is useless due to the buffering capacity of the water, and will remain at hard, alkaline levels.
Fish much prefer clean stable environments, so if the pH and hardness remain consistantly high, maintained with regular PWC,the fish will adapt during acclimitisation (I use a drip method over 2 hours). This is fine for display tanks.
If you want to breed fish, then water quality does become an issue and you should try to replicate the ideal parameters with RO/tap water mix, as the variables of the water determine the success of the eggs hatching and sexes of the fry, amongst other things.
Edit: Forgot to add that fish do better going from soft to hard compared to vice versa, as it affects their physiology.
Fish much prefer clean stable environments, so if the pH and hardness remain consistantly high, maintained with regular PWC,the fish will adapt during acclimitisation (I use a drip method over 2 hours). This is fine for display tanks.
If you want to breed fish, then water quality does become an issue and you should try to replicate the ideal parameters with RO/tap water mix, as the variables of the water determine the success of the eggs hatching and sexes of the fry, amongst other things.
Edit: Forgot to add that fish do better going from soft to hard compared to vice versa, as it affects their physiology.
Last edited:
thank you both. I am still cycling this new tank which I will fill up the remainder with ro water. No fish or plants have been added yet. I'm not sure what PWC means but I'm sure I'll feel like an idiot when you tell me. lol.
By hard I mean about 320ppm GH, 280ppm KH
By hard I mean about 320ppm GH, 280ppm KH
Reverse osmoses. Essentially like distileld water, very pure and very soft. It is an excellent way to reduce hardness safely. However, you have to be able to have a sufficient amount on hand as in the case of an emergency water change you may need lots otherwise the hardness and pH will skyrocket, possibly harming your fish.
Another option for such a tank is to use the hard water for your advantage. Keep hard water fish like certain cichlids, mollies, or else go for a brackish water tank and be cool. Marine tanks would also work.
Another option for such a tank is to use the hard water for your advantage. Keep hard water fish like certain cichlids, mollies, or else go for a brackish water tank and be cool. Marine tanks would also work.
i keep african cichlids that dont mind the hard water or high ph, however, I'm starting a new planted tank with shrimp and plecos. I think i will have to use RO water for them. Perhaps if I could find a cheap yet effective RO unit.
I've always lived with hard water (KH = 143 ppm or 8 deg, GH = 300 ppm or 14 deg) with pH = 8.0. And I keep "soft water" species like dojo loaches and glass catfish. They are thriving! I don't mess with water chemistry and just make sure to keep the water clean, through a few water changes a week.
I'm not at all interested in breeding, so I can think of my hard water as "fishy birth control"??
:joke: Works out better for me!
I'm not at all interested in breeding, so I can think of my hard water as "fishy birth control"??
:joke: Works out better for me!
If you've got someplace to put it, you might consider getting a plastic trash can (30-50 gal), putting a lot of boiled peat in it, and doing your water changes from that. Maybe use an airstone to keep the water moving. You can either put the peat in bags made from old nylons, or just leave it loose an let it settle before you do a water change.
That's a lot better than having peat in the filter, because you don't have the big shock when you do a water change with tap water.
Deciding which type of plastic is the most "fish safe" is another discussion.
That's a lot better than having peat in the filter, because you don't have the big shock when you do a water change with tap water.
Deciding which type of plastic is the most "fish safe" is another discussion.
