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Dealing with hard water and high pH

larryl

New Member
Messages
23
Location
Denver, Colorado USA
Hi -

I've got a community planted tank that has been set up for quite a while, and recently added a few A. agassizii. They're doing great but I'd like to make the conditions more accommodating to them.

The tank has gravel substrate and over the past few months I've been adding a decent amount of leaves, etc. that I got from Tannin Aquatics. I do about a 30-40% water change every other week. I'm on Denver city water which is about 175 TDS out of the tap, but I also have RO/DI available that I use for my saltwater tank. Yesterday I used the API test kits and got 4 and 8 for KH and GH, respectively. My pH averages about 7.8 according to my Apex probe.

What numbers should I be targeting for KH, GH, and pH? What's the best approach to get toward those numbers? Should I do water changes with part (or all) RO until the hardness numbers come down? How do I maintain the right hardness and pH after that?


Thanks!
Larry
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,449
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Also on Denver tap water and my readings are similar. These values are fine for apistos, except true blackwater species. The high pH values are due to chemicals Denver Water puts in the lines to prevent their erosion. Usually the pH will lower after a day or 2, due to organics in the aquarium. I lower my pH (when needed) by running water through peat.
 

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