# Help with the PH,GH,KH in my tank/tap water.Confused!



## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

First im gonna start with my tap water.I didnt let it stand for 24 hours before tested and i dont know if it counts but here it is:

Tap water:

PH-8.2
KH-2 (35.8 ppm)
GH-3 (53.7 ppm)

Aquarium water after 3 days from 50% WC:

PH-7.4
KH-3 (53.7 ppm)
GH-4 (71.6 ppm)

What should i understand from this?
Why the ph drop to 7.4 after getting in the tank if tap water is 8.2?
KH/GH too low for african cichlids?Should i buffer them up?If i do so, will i bring down the PH?
I dont know if its worth mentioning that i added some chemicals for plants like Iron, Flourish and Excel.Possibly the cause of PH crash?Please help.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

eutimio said:


> First im gonna start with my tap water.I didnt let it stand for 24 hours before tested and i dont know if it counts but here it is:
> .


Yes, it is important.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

ok i will let it sit then test again but how does the GH,KH look in the tank?too low?


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

Do you have any drift wood? That could cause a ph drop. Peat or soil for plants? Most lfs don't buffer their water so a ph of 7.4 can work. What I'm saying is tank raised fish are more than likely not raised in water that mimics water in the wild. My Mbuna are in water that comes out of my well at 7.6 or .8 and they are doing fine.


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

eutimio said:


> ok i will let it sit then test again but how does the GH,KH look in the tank?too low?


A little yes. Likely you will find the tap water will have a lower ph after it has sat for a day. I would buffer it up a little.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

last time i tested the ph after it sat for awhile showed 7.8.And thats good as far as i know but GH/KH is too low from what im reading online.Usually over 7 is what is recommended for african cichlids.True?Epsom salt ,bakind soda?I have a ph UP salt or whatever it is.Should i use that now?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

First test after 24 hours. Then decide. I'd use baking soda over ph Up salt or any other commercial product.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

ill post test results tomorrow night.Thanks


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

eutimio said:


> ill post test results tomorrow night.Thanks


There is a buffer recipe in the sites Library that works well.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

I decided to do a WC and put 40Gallons of water in my barrel ,added Prime, Epsom salt, Baking Soda and Cichlid Lake Salt that has been sitting around for a few months and i got these readings on KH/GH

KH-14
GH-26

I suppose the chart would look different once mixed with another 70G of aquarium water right?So is this enough buffering or should i buffer even more?I used the recommended dose-1 teaspoon of baking soda per 5 Gallons, 1 tablespoon of Epsom Salt per 5 Gallon and 1 tablespoon of marine or in my case cichlid lake salt per 5 Gallon.Let me know


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Seems too high to me. What were the 24-hour tap water readings?

Why did you add the cichlid lake salt? I think that has some of the same minerals as the baking soda and epsom salt and maybe that is why your readings went up so high? No need for marine or cichlid salt, IMO.

You want to increase the pH-KH-GH readings in your tank very gradually. If pH increases more than 0.2 with a single water change, that is too much.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

My fish seem to be a lot more active now and i suppose it is a good thing...So am i gonna be good only with baking soda and epsom salt dose?Yes the cichlid salt has a bunch of minerals in it and if i dose one more time ill probably run out i said i could use it instead of throwing it away.Readings will be ready in a few hours.Ill test the tank and the tap and see what i have.Thanks so far


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would not use it in ADDITION to the baking soda and epsom salt.

Try adding 40G of plain water to your "experiment" barrel and see what the KH, GH and pH readings are.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

Checked the tap water in the container that sat for 24 hours and the readings are:

KH - 2
GH - 3
PH-7.4

Checked the water in the tank :

PH-7.8
KH- 7
GH -13

Should i add more salt and baging soda next time to get the readings even more higher?The PH seems too low.
Thanks!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

How much Ph Up have you been adding to the water in the tank? pH, KH and GH look fine in your tank.

Regarding your tap water...I'd want the KH a little higher...7 would be good. pH is fine. So whatever you are currently doing for your tank is working.

Did you add another 40G to your experiment holding tank and see what readings you get?


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

I didnt do any other experiment it would just be the same as the one i just did in a cup right?or you meant to add the salts too?I didnt add any PH-up in the tank all i did was add baking soda, epsom salt and cichlid lake salt.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

In your tank with fish...what did you use to get KH=7?

In your 40G water storage tank (no fish) you had KH=13 after adding baking soda, epsom salt and cichlid lake salt. I suggested diluting it with another 40G of plain water to see if you could get closer to the KH=7.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

No see the thing is those 40G of water where the reading were KH-13 GH-26 was the amount of water mixed with the salts that was in the barrel.In that barrel i add dechlor and heat it up to the tank temp. then push it back to the tank through a submersible pump.Those 40G is the amount of water im changing every time i do WC.And when those 40G were diluted in the other 70-80 gallons of aquarium water ,the readings were different aka KH-7, GH-13,PH-7.8.I guess when i added the baking soda and epsom salt the ph went up as well as the KH and GH.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

So you really don't want your pH to go up that much all at once. Not that it is at 7.8 and 7 you want to keep it there exactly all the time. So now you have to figure out how much EITHER cichlid salt OR baking soda a epsom salts will get your 40G to 7.8 and 7. And then the change water will be exactly the same as the tank water, which is your goal.


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## tim_s (Nov 27, 2011)

You have plants in your tank?


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

about 10 anubias 4 java fern and 5 jungle vals


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## tim_s (Nov 27, 2011)

eutimio said:


> about 10 anubias 4 java fern and 5 jungle vals


Are you adding anything to the tank, your measurements are odd!, What is your substrate? What Rock work do you have?

EDIT:

I just noticed your second measurements - So you are attempting to buffer.


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## tim_s (Nov 27, 2011)

Sorry - I ran out of edit attempts - ignore the above!

OK I see you are adding Seachem products - Excel can increase CO2 which can decrease your pH even though you are buffering and increasing GH / KH.


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## eutimio (Aug 22, 2012)

I see.. i was thinking to use the excel and potasium one week then the following week to use iron and flourish this way im not adding too many chemicals at once.


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## tim_s (Nov 27, 2011)

What live stock are you planning on?


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