# Need some help regarding GH/KH results please.



## Dead Bonsai (18 Dec 2015)

Hi, I'm wondering if someone could help me out a little regarding my tap water test results please? I'm using the API test kits, everything seemed straight forward regarding the results for ph, amonia, nitrites and nitrates using the colour charts, I'm just a little confused with the kh & gh results.

The Kh took 8 drops to change colour so the result chart says thats 143.2ppm
However the Gh took 18 drops, the chart only goes up to 12 drop results which is 214.8ppm. So would I simply add the results for 12 drops and 6 drops on the chart together to give me a reading of 322.2ppm? or have I got this completely wrong?

So my final results for tap water would be..

Gh 322.2ppm
Kh 143.2ppm
Ph 7.4

Sorry if this is all very basic stuff, I did have a quick search on here and couldn't really find anything to clear this up for me. Thanks in advance for any help or guidance anyone might be able to offer.

Cheers,

Scott.


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## ian_m (18 Dec 2015)

Either your water is very very hard (may be) or something in the water is interfering with the test kit, which is why you can't really trust the hobby grade test kit results. Chloride, in even very small amounts,  is known to interfere with test kits, usually causing them to grossly over read.

Why do you want to know your water hardness ? Just get a rough idea from your water board soft, medium or hard is fine, and work with the water you have got, not that hardness really affects fish or plants.


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## •Cai• (18 Dec 2015)

I've also got the same problem @Dead Bonsai my gh is a staggering 23drops however and KH is 12. I have very hard water in my area. I've posted same problem on my journal so il I've interested in answers given here


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## Dead Bonsai (18 Dec 2015)

Thanks for the info Ian, I wasn't aware that the hardness had so little impact on the plants or fish. I've kept fish for a few years now but I'm just venturing into having a more hi tech planted tank, so I was just trying to get everything right from the get go and thought that the exact hardness was something I'd need to be aware of, I do know I'm in a hard water area (nn17 Northamptonshire) but didn't know much more than that.

Thanks again,

Scott.


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## dw1305 (18 Dec 2015)

Hi all, 





Dead Bonsai said:


> I do know I'm in a hard water area (nn17 Northamptonshire) but didn't know much more than that.


You should be able to get  water hardness figures from your water supplier (presumably either "Thames Water" or "Anglian Water"). 

You water will definitely be "hard", and may be "very hard". Nearly all the aquifers underlying Southern Britain are limestone, and often that is chalk.

I keep soft-water fish, and we have <"very hard tap water">.  Because of this <"I use rain-water"> and just add a small amount of tap to give some dGH/dKH.

cheers Darrel


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## aaron.c (18 Dec 2015)

It is important to have an understanding of whether you have very soft, soft, hard or very hard water, but I don't think you need to be too bothered with the exact figures.

I have very very soft tap water, it has next to no GH or KH, so I remineralise for the sake of the shrimp and to avoid risk of PH crashes.  But I don't obsess over figure or regularly test.

Fish and plants aren't all that bothered about what water you have (with a few specialist exceptions) - what they are most bothered about is stability.  If you suddenly add a load of really soft acidic water, to what was a very hard tank, they will not like it.


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## Dead Bonsai (18 Dec 2015)

Thanks Darrel, I'll check the Anglian Water site to see if I can get a bit more info. I thought about using rain water in the past, but weekly changes of about 120L would be a problem.


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## ian_m (18 Dec 2015)

There you go....an Anglian Water page for fish keepers.
http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/household/water-quality/fish-keepers.aspx
Doesn't really say a lot other than warm the water and use dechlorinator.

And a link to hardness, where is states (pdf) water is mostly hard to very hard  (gH of 350ppm).
http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/household/water-quality/hardness-and-water-softeners.aspx

My water is around this level of hardness (24 Clark) and don't have any issues with fish breeding and plants growing. I use cooled boiled water to make my EI solutions, as some people report, though not seen it myself, the EI solutions precipitating out if very very hard water is used, especially the micro.


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## Dead Bonsai (18 Dec 2015)

Thanks again Ian, and everyone else who has commented. It really is refreshing how helpful people on here are to newcomers like myself, it really is appreciated


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## ian_m (18 Dec 2015)

Worry about how you get CO2 levels and distributions which is responsible for 99% of issues people encounter. Lights (just fit), fertiliser (just add) and water from tap are all easy to do, CO2 is an art....


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## xim (18 Dec 2015)

API's GH/KH test kit, I have used one. The KH part is OK and has a long shelf life. But the GH part has short shelf life, the older it gets the more drops it needs to change the colour. When I first used it, it reported 3 dGH. Months later it was 6, then 8, and eventually the colour won't change no matter how many drops you add.


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## Andy Thurston (18 Dec 2015)

xim said:


> When I first used it, it reported 3 dGH. Months later it was 6, then 8, and eventually the colour won't change no matter how many drops you add.


There's a perfect example proving that hobby grade test kits are useless! so why waste your cash


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