Crazy tap water!!

[Eddie]

Well, with little to zero testing of my water hardness and chlorine, I decided to actually check it out.

Chlorine-0
Chloramine-0
KH-35 ppm
GH-85 ppm

Now what the hell is that all about! LOL

Maybe I'm controlling my PH swings with the 100% WCs but I would assume with a low KH, my PH would be everywhere. My fish are champs and have been for many months. Any ideas?


Eddi

[Chad Hughes]

Eddie,

Your water is fine man! Your KH is on the low side, but it won't crash at 35 ppm. That's actually the KH of my breeder tanks. You have pretty good grow out water with your GH as well. I can't believe you don't test your water! You are very lucky that you haven't had an issue. Living in the area that you are in the seasons change A LOT and so does the water. You might want to at leat doa monthly on the water. I'd kep track too so that way you know when the swings should be coming if at all.

Best wishes!

[Eddie]

Eddie,

Your water is fine man! Your KH is on the low side, but it won't crash at 35 ppm. That's actually the KH of my breeder tanks. You have pretty good grow out water with your GH as well. I can't believe you don't test your water! You are very lucky that you haven't had an issue. Living in the area that you are in the seasons change A LOT and so does the water. You might want to at leat doa monthly on the water. I'd kep track too so that way you know when the swings should be coming if at all.

Best wishes!

Good call Chad, thanks for the info too. I just always assumed that if my PH didn't swing, I was golden. I don't breed, but its good to know that I am set for it. LOL

Eddie

[brewmaster15]

Hi Eddie,
Your pH probably won't swing because of the 100% WCS you do... BTW... you never mentioned exactly what that pH is?:) I'd be surprised if you even have much of biofilter activity going on..

Be interesting to see what your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are just prior to water change

-al

[Chad Hughes]

Eddie,

Are you having Ph swings? You shouldn't be. Your KH is on the low end of the scale for preventing swings. I have a few tanks that are in the 20 ppm range and no swings. I typically like tanks in the 40 ppm range for security sake. LOL!

I didn't mean to say that you had breeding water. You have grow out water. Your GH and Ph are a bit on the high side. If and when you have breeding going on you'll have to see how they do in your water. They might be OK! Typically you'll want your GH <3ppm with an acidic Ph. I'm sure you know most of this. I know you can read. LOL!

Best wishes!

[Eddie]

Hi Eddie,
Your pH probably won't swing because of the 100% WCS you do... BTW... you never mentioned exactly what that pH is?:) I'd be surprised if you even have much of biofilter activity going on..

Be interesting to see what your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are just prior to water change

-al

Hi Al, thanks for chiming in. My ammonia/nitrite levels are always zero before WCs. Nitrates are in the low range. Initially, my ammonia and nitrite levels went bananas feeding the way I do but I just knocked out 100% WCs and it all leveled out. I just kept doing 100% WCs and everything rolls smooth. My PH out of the tap is 6.8. My PH just before my WCs is about the same or slightly higher, 7.0.

Eddie

[Eddie]

Eddie,

Are you having Ph swings? You shouldn't be. Your KH is on the low end of the scale for preventing swings. I have a few tanks that are in the 20 ppm range and no swings. I typically like tanks in the 40 ppm range for security sake. LOL!

I didn't mean to say that you had breeding water. You have grow out water. Your GH and Ph are a bit on the high side. If and when you have breeding going on you'll have to see how they do in your water. They might be OK! Typically you'll want your GH <3ppm with an acidic Ph. I'm sure you know most of this. I know you can read. LOL!

Best wishes!

LOL, I can read but understanding is whole other ball game! :D

I was thinking of using a bit of rain water mixed with tap if I ever had a pair do the deed. I'll have to play with it since I have never conditioned water for breeding. Breeding Discus will be a different animal all together. ;)

Eddie

[Chad Hughes]

Hi Eddie,
Your pH probably won't swing because of the 100% WCS you do... BTW... you never mentioned exactly what that pH is?:) I'd be surprised if you even have much of biofilter activity going on..

Be interesting to see what your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are just prior to water change

-al

Al,

I mentioned the likely lack of biofiltration to Eddie, but he says that he's left the tanks wihtout water changes and the filters kept everything in check. You would think without an ammonia source the biofilter would be dead.


LOL, I can read but understanding is whole other ball game! :D

I was thinking of using a bit of rain water mixed with tap if I ever had a pair do the deed. I'll have to play with it since I have never conditioned water for breeding. Breeding Discus will be a different animal all together. ;)

Eddie

I got ya brother! ;)

[Eddie]

Al,

I mentioned the likely lack of biofiltration to Eddie, but he says that he's left the tanks wihtout water changes and the filters kept everything in check. You would think without an ammonia source the biofilter would be dead.



I got ya brother! ;)

I think that the initial cycle stage of my filters allowed them to establish the way they did. I mean I hit them HARD with food, non-stop and there was once evidence of ammonia and nitrite but it slowly went down to zero. ;)

Eddie

[poconogal]

Eddie my dkh in tank is 3, my dgh is 5 and my PH is 7.6, no PH drops at all, ever, it stays rock steady, even after adding a bunch of driftwood. I've been told that my water is buffered by something other than calcium, perhaps magnesium, which won't show on a hardness test kit. I call it weird water, LOL!

[Chad Hughes]

Connie,

Your KH is good for appropriate buffering. So is Eddie's. I've had as low as 2 with no problems, but I was nervous about it. Magnesium is part of GH and shouldn't have too much to do with KH.

Best wishes!

[poconogal]

Chad, my GH is not high either, and I've been told by quite a few people that magnesium can buffer water as well as calcium. And a dkh of 3 with a PH of 7.6 or higher, depending on the season, is not usually the norm. Everyone expects a lower PH, in the 6s, with my dkh. So I still call it weird water! :D

[Chad Hughes]

Hmm... I hadn't heard that. I guess it is weird!

[Disgirl]

Ditto for me and my strange water, like Connie's. My ph is 7.6 and general hardness is 57ppm. I am in the process of changing from all RO to my tap water. I am going from ph <6 and no hardness at all to ph 7.6 with a bit of some kind of hardness. You all have told me it will work. Just trying not to stress out my little fish!
Barbara in eastern NC , near the ocean

[Eddie]

Hmmm, that is very interesting to know Connie. In reading about fry development in Andrew Soh's book, there is alot about having sufficient calcium in the water. I wonder what effects magnesium will have on fry development. Guess I will need to find out.

That is really great info to know Connie! You are a star. I never worried about my water since all my initial test were perfect. I didnt worry about hardness until I started flirting with the idea of breeding.

Thanks

Eddie