# So what does this tell me?



## Kezzab (15 Feb 2016)

Hi - I'm no chemist, this whole topic flies over my head. However I'm curious.

I've checked the stats for my tap water (below). My question is, what does this tell me that's pertinent to what will and won't grow well, if anything?

For info i have 2 tanks:

1. A 60l, low light, liquid Co2 daily, ferts (TNC complete) once a week - crypts, anubias, mini java, java windelov, Amazon swords, giant vallis.

2. A 15l, hi light, Co2 diffused, daily fert dosing - rotala, juncus repens, willow moss, hydrocolyte japan, mini java, crypt, xmas moss.

Everything doing OK apart from the Windelov which is struggling, brown crappy ends, limited growth.

Thoughts?

Thanks


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## dw1305 (15 Feb 2016)

Hi all, 





Kezzab said:


> My question is, what does this tell me that's pertinent to what will and won't grow well, if anything?


It just tells you your water is very soft and has few ions of any description. 

The most relevant bit is probably the conductivity ~ 65 microS (about 40 ppm TDS), this is pretty close to RO water. The good news is that it is much easier to add things to water than to take them away. 

If you have a look at <"James' Planted Tank"> it gives you the chemicals, and amounts, you need to add a small amount of dKH. 

cheers Darrel


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## darren636 (15 Feb 2016)

Lucky git.


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## parotet (15 Feb 2016)

Hi all

as Darrel mentions it is much easier to add than to take away things from your water... you are lucky in that sense. This means that you can grow whatever you want in this water (and breed interesting species of fish as well). However please note that water chemistry won't be the most important constraint for growing aquatic plants (unless you focus on a reduced group of species that need a very specific chemistry). Most of the plants available for the hobbyist do well in a wide range of conditions... that means that you have +300 species/varieties that will grow in your water or slightly modified water. As you will see in this forum, balancing light, CO2 needs, nutrients and tank husbandry will be much more significant for a successful planted tank.

Jordi


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## Kezzab (15 Feb 2016)

Thanks for the replies, interesting to know.

I'm probably not going to go DIY on this, i know it'd end in disaster.

But would this be beneficial? https://www.thenutrientcompany.com/product/tnc-gh-boost/ or worth experimenting with?

Kieran


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## dw1305 (15 Feb 2016)

Hi all, 





darren636 said:


> Lucky git.


My first thought as well. 

cheers Darrel


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## alto (15 Feb 2016)

Kezzab said:


> But would this be beneficial? https://www.thenutrientcompany.com/product/tnc-gh-boost/ or worth experimenting with?


With very soft water you need to ensure that any additives are pH balanced for your target pH, you'll likely want to also increase KH as well (as you'd like it to be the dominating buffer)
Email & ask what pH is measured for a solution of the above product. 

If you're happy with current state of tanks/livestock not sure I'd change anything


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## dw1305 (15 Feb 2016)

Hi all, 





Kezzab said:


> I'm probably not going to go DIY on this, i know it'd end in disaster.


Get away with you, you are pretty safe. 

You can use food grade <"potassium bicarbonate"> (KHCO3). 
1.8g KHCO3 in 25 litres of water = 2 dKH.

The other option is to add a small amount of <"Oyster shell chick grit"> (CaCO3) to your tank. 

The "TNC Complete" should magnesium (Mg) etc.  

cheers Darrel


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## emrgroup (15 Feb 2016)

Another is Epsom salts. The risk with soft water is the fluctuatiins of ph. Very bad for fish, plants adjust. I think you probably have amazing water for discus.

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


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## Kezzab (15 Feb 2016)

Ah, a Discus tank... that is pretty much what got me into fish when I was a kid, a massive planted Discus tank at M&R Dogfish in Glasgow. Need more room.


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## dw1305 (16 Feb 2016)

Hi all,





emrgroup said:


> The risk with soft water is the fluctuatiins of ph. Very bad for fish, plants adjust.


I think pH is a really difficult concept to get your head around, it is both a ratio and a log10 scale. You read this a lot on other forums, but it isn't true in all situations, in fact you will always have fluctuations in pH in soft water. These occur in the wild as well as our tanks. Have a look at <"Does low KH.....">, it has figures from work done in Brazil.

Hard, carbonate buffered water will have a more stable pH, because you have a large reserve of buffer to go into solution and maintain pH. If you keep marine tanks, or Tanganyikan cichlids, you need huge changes in water chemistry to alter pH, but in soft water small changes in water chemistry cause large changes in pH. If you very low conductivity water pH is basically meaningless.





emrgroup said:


> Another is Epsom salts.


Yes, this will raise dGH (it is MgSO4.7H2O), but it won't add any calcium (Ca++), or dKH (HCO3-), most UK tap water doesn't contain much magnesium, so it is added to the TNC complete mix.

Plants don't have a large requirement for calcium, and the majority of UK aquifers are limestone (CaCO3), so  the OP's situation is quite unusual (away from the N and W of the UK). 

cheers Darrel


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