# Advice please- KH/ GH/ TDS



## Sacha (12 Jan 2014)

This is linked to a question I asked earlier in a different thread.

I use RO water in my tank, and I currently remineralise using JBL Aquadur. 

I have done tests, and found that adding enough Aquadur to raise the TDS to 100, brings the KH up to 0.75.

Based on this, if I want a KH of 3.75, that means a TDS of 500!

The water I made up which was of 100 TDS and 0.75, I tested the GH of that water too. The GH was reading 5! I think my test kit must be wrong, because JBL state that an increase in 1 KH using Aquadur equates to an increase in 1.6 GH. Clearly my GH test must be incorrect, so let's forget about GH for the moment.

I know for a fact my KH test is correct, and I am concerned because using Aquadur means that if I want a KH of 4, that means a TDS of over 500.

So, shall I add Sodium Bicarbonate to my pot of JBL Aquadur? This will mean that I need to add less TDS to reach the same KH? 

I hope I have explained all this clearly. Any advice is much appreciated. Cheers


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## kirk (12 Jan 2014)

Hi again, Are you keeping crs?


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## Sacha (12 Jan 2014)

No, but I am keeping Nerite snails.


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## kirk (12 Jan 2014)

I'm going to a bit blunt but I think personally you are worrying / trying to much.  for example until I recently changed the set up to keep crs I didn't even own a tds pen or test kits.  My tds when first got the pen was 470 ish dosing ei similar to what your but with more water changes Upto 4 changes a week so that's 100 ltrs a week on a120 ltr tank.  our water even leaves the tap at 225-270 tds depending on the time of day. How are the snails looking health wise with how you are doing things?


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## Sacha (12 Jan 2014)

Ok. Thanks a lot for the reassurance- I do worry too much... 

The snails seem to be doing ok. The only reason I am asking about TDS is because I am looking at successful beautiful Aquascapes and they all have pretty low TDS.


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## kirk (12 Jan 2014)

I'm worried sick with these crs being a novice crs wise but as you say it's all about the beauty and your pet's health.  can I interest you in my journal lol ?  it's a bit Janet and John but you'll see where ukaps as helped me.


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## Sacha (12 Jan 2014)

Yeah definitely- I'll take a look now.


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## ceg4048 (19 Jan 2014)

Sacha said:


> The snails seem to be doing ok. The only reason I am asking about TDS is because I am looking at successful beautiful Aquascapes and they all have pretty low TDS.


 
Here is a tank with GH 25 and TDS of about 850 usiemens. It's successful (but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.)
So, I really think that the OP needs to forget about TDS and worry more about nutrition, flow/distribution and cleanliness.





Cheers,


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## Sacha (19 Jan 2014)

Wow. Thanks for that, my mind is more at ease now.


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## kirk (19 Jan 2014)

ceg4048 said:


> Here is a tank with GH 25 and TDS of about 850 usiemens. It's successful (but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.)
> So, I really think that the OP needs to forget about TDS and worry more about nutrition, flow/distribution and cleanliness.
> 
> 
> ...


   who's tank is this?  What a Beautiful colour mix.


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## Matt Warner (19 Jan 2014)

What species of fish do you have in this tank Clive?


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## ceg4048 (19 Jan 2014)

Thanks mate.

This was one of my tanks wherein I performed an investigation into reports from The Matrix that high TDS was detrimental to fish/plant health, color and growth.

Cheers,


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## ceg4048 (19 Jan 2014)

Matty1983 said:


> What species of fish do you have in this tank Clive?


There were mostly tetras and some dwarf chiclids. If you look closely you can just make out Black Phantom on lower right, otto on the glass far right and some other (Serpae?) on the lower center-left.

Cheers,


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## Matt Warner (19 Jan 2014)

In your opinion clive, would you say that a high tds level is detrimental to the health of shrimp? As the most important factor these days when keeping shrimp seems to be TDS.


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## ceg4048 (19 Jan 2014)

Well, again, it could be, but the problem is that everyone automatically assumes this to be true without any evidence, yet there are plenty f examples of people raising shrimp in high TDS water. No one approaches this rationally, just a bunch of arbitrary rules. The same people assume that the Copper in trace mix is deadly to shrimp. Ludicrous.

If you can afford it, then definitely start out with low TDS water, but also definitely explore the limits by controlled addition of TDS.
TDS is a complicated measurement. Polluted water has a higher TDS due to dirt/waste. So what is it that is detrimental to the fish, the high TDS or the high pollution? TDS increases from a LOT of different things, so it's more important to understand the REASON the TDS is high, not just to assume that some arbitrary number is a line that can never be crossed.

Cheers,


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## Victor (7 Mar 2014)

ceg4048 said:


> Here is a tank with GH 25 and TDS of about 850 usiemens. It's successful (but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.)
> So, I really think that the OP needs to forget about TDS and worry more about nutrition, flow/distribution and cleanliness.


 Hi, Ceg! How much light you use on this tank and how big is it?


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## ian_m (7 Mar 2014)

Round my way they raise shrimp, even sensitive types in 22' Clarke hardness water (very hard) coming it at 600-700us.


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