# how much gh is to much?



## mmz3 (Sep 7, 2009)

ok i just got a gh/kh test kit today to monitor the new rocks/sand i put in. my kh was about 160 ppm and my gh was 400 +  I have a full tank of peacocks/haps and was woundering if this is a bad thing. and what gh/kh levels should i be aimming for. oh ph is at 8.0 ppm if that make ne differance. please help. thinking would have been better not to get test kit cause now iam stressing out!


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## mmz3 (Sep 7, 2009)

plz ne one know i don't want all my fish to die i did a 20% water change but didn't seem to lower it ne


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## wheatbackdigger (May 11, 2008)

Are you having issues with your fish? If not, I wouldn't worry to much about it. My water parmeters 8.4 ph, 200ppm Kh, 400 ppm Gh. I don't keep peacocks/haps. I keep either Mbuna or Fronts in all my tanks. I think the key is stability. My Ph and Hardness changes very little to zero between weekly water changes. Never have health or breeding issues.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

What is the GH of your tap water?

Chances are your tap water is just as high as your aquarium's water. If that is true then water changes will not lower it.

Rift Lake Cichlids prefer hard water so it's probably fine. I have softer water and keep SA/CA Cichlids, so I can't respond with much more detail...


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## boredatwork (Sep 14, 2007)

400ppm is not too high for africans.


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## lmhollist (Aug 7, 2009)

mmz3 said:


> ok i just got a gh/kh test kit today to monitor the new rocks/sand i put in. my kh was about 160 ppm and my gh was 400 +  I have a full tank of peacocks/haps and was woundering if this is a bad thing. and what gh/kh levels should i be aimming for. oh ph is at 8.0 ppm if that make ne differance. please help. thinking would have been better not to get test kit cause now iam stressing out!


My gH is off the charts as well ... our water has pretty much been described as Rambo hard. My roomie and I have had no problems with our peacocks or haps. We've also kept livebearing fish for a few years and never had an issue with them. I recently started keeping south americans and central americans, the water hardness concerns me with them but I try to combat it with lots of plants and driftwood. If it makes you feel better you can always try adding some of that to your tank just to lower the gh/kh a little bit (however a high kh is always good since it means your tank is well buffered against any sudden shifts in ph).


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

isn't gh mostly the buffering capacity?


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## mmz3 (Sep 7, 2009)

cjacob316 said:


> isn't gh mostly the buffering capacity?


no GH is General hardness

KH is carbanate hardness i belive. :?


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

mmz3 said:


> cjacob316 said:
> 
> 
> > isn't gh mostly the buffering capacity?
> ...


mmz is correct...

General Hardness is basically a calculation of total dissolved solids, which is mostly metals and minerals...

Carbonage Hardness, or KH, is a measure of buffering capacity or alkalinity.


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## mmz3 (Sep 7, 2009)

ty toby_h my fish seem fine(itching a little)but in good spirits and yes my tap water comes out at 400ppm+ from what *** herd should be great for africans.


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