new problem

msemanuel · 08-28-2006, 09:30 PM

I am in the process of setting up my fish tanks after a three year break. They are in the cycling stage. And seem to be right on track. But over the last three years i moved to a different state. And encountered a new problem hard water. Straight out of the tap i have water that test out with a kh of 20 and after a three weeks in the tank the kh is 16. This is the first part the next part is the gh test out at 35+ coming out of the tap and after cycling in the tank for three weeks. I've never had problems with Kh AND dh before. FIrst ? is what are they and how do i lower them TO acceptable levels for a fresh water and a mini feef tank. I have had fresh water tanks for 18 years but this i the first salt reef tank ever.

ahill3780 · 08-29-2006, 12:29 AM

Welcome to FishTankForums!

In a saltwater tank you don't need to focus on GH and KH as such. More so, you need to test for pH and Alkalinity, as well as TDS but this is not usually found in a 'test' type application and requires a digital TDS meter.

Someone more experienced in FW will chime in with suggestions for conditioning it. As far salt water we need to test for the pH and alk before deciding how to adjust. If your tank is still cycling then don't bother with adjustments at the moment because the pH will change from day to day until the tank stabilizes. Then you would make any necessary adjustments.

First question would be, what type of test are you using? Some are less accurate than others and you could be getting false readings.

msemanuel · 08-29-2006, 07:01 AM

I am using master test kits by aquarium pharmaceuticals. for both salt and frresh.

ahill3780 · 08-29-2006, 07:30 AM

So the test results you quoted above are for the freshwater tank then?

What are the results for your SW?

msemanuel · 08-29-2006, 07:54 AM

i dont have a dk test with the salt tank test kit. but i am a plumber and was thinking about either putting in a water softner or a o/r system or a whole house 3 stage filter just trying to figure out which system would give me the most. like could i use the water softner water in my aquariums.

msemanuel · 08-29-2006, 07:56 AM

i took my reading from my tap water straight out of the faucet and out of the fw

ahill3780 · 08-29-2006, 06:26 PM

Yeah the master test kits do not include a test for Alk so you will need to get that seperate. The only way to know what to do about the SW tank is to set it up, fill it with water and as I mentioned previously, wait for the cycle to complete before testing to make the final adjustments.

As far as conditioners go, I would only use a stress coat/dechlorinator in the water. A pH of 8.3 is what you want to aim for in a SW tank, and the rest of the parameters can be targeted after the tank is cycled.

By o/r did you mean RO? And if I am reading this right you are saying you want to put in a 3-stage filtration on your main home water supply?

Personally I would say the easiest solution would be to purchase an RO/DI filter and use that to make your tank water. The filter will clean out all impurities and nutrients, and the salt mix you use will reintroduce all the needed nutrients to the clean water.

msemanuel · 08-29-2006, 08:19 PM

after talking with some fish stores today i came to the same conclusionwith the r/o system. for the salt tank. now for the fresh tank will the r/o work or do i need to do extra steps for the fresh tank? and any suggestions on a r/o system