# GH too high



## iDigit (4 Apr 2017)

Hi all.

I have just set up a tank - Saturday just gone. Tank size - 180 lit. This tank is now cycling. I'll introduce some corys, ottos and perhaps some shrimp shortly to start the biomass.

My 120 lit tank has a PH of 7.2. Our water is really hard and so the current PH in the 180 is 7.8. However, the GH in the 120 is OK. In the 180 it is too high. 

What would be the best way to reduce the GH. My budget is unfortunately really tight so cannot afford a RO unit. CO2 will reduce the PH but I doubt it will have any effect on the GH.

I'm now looking for an affordable (cheaper) means to get the parameters right. Will this hardness reduce with time as the tank cycles ?

Looking forward to hearing from anyone who has any suggestions.


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## AverageWhiteBloke (4 Apr 2017)

Cheapest option would be using rain water if you can get some off a roof. Maybe filter it over activated carbon first. 
Some resins are available as well like the API water purifier but last I looked these had gone quite high in price. 

Sent from my STH100-2 using Tapatalk


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## ian_m (4 Apr 2017)

Why is too high an issue ?

You are really best to try and work with the water you get from the tap.

I have very hard water, plants grow and fish breed. Ok get scale on non visible parts of the tank but not an issue.


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## Andy Thurston (4 Apr 2017)

ian_m said:


> Why is too high an issue ?


After moving from a soft water area to a hard water area, yes its possible to grow plants but it is 10x easier to grow most plants in soft water. I would prefer to have soft water any day of the week. as for fish breeding, i 'm not really bothered about that because I've seen all my eggs/fry eaten by other tankmates and just accept that this will happen without my intervention, which I just don't have the time or the patients for.


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## ian_m (5 Apr 2017)

Can you buy RO water at your local fish shop and mix with your tap water ?

Other than a proper RO unit there is little you can easily and cheaply do to lower GH.

There are "softening pillows" available (actually pillows of de-ionising resin) that you leave in your water (tank ?) and it swaps the calcium ions out for potassium. You then recharge the pillow by soaking it in concentrated potassium chloride solution. Not cheap but does work.
http://www.apifishcare.com/product.php?id=550#.WOSiN2egtaR

Some people (and shops) use commercial water softeners to supply their water (about £1000 fitted) eg
http://www.twintec.com/
I have a Twintec at home to soften the water to 1-2' Clark, fantastic, no bath scum, no scale on taps BUT water totally unsuitable for fish due to sodium being present in the supplied water.

If you run it on potassium chloride rather than sodium chloride, the water is then soft and suitable for fish & plants & washing & showering. Potassium chloride is about £40 for 25Kg and salt less the £10 for 25Kg.

Bit more here.
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/water-softeners-and-aquariums.27004/


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## iDigit (5 Apr 2017)

Thanks for the replies folks.   @AWB - Yes,  rain water would certainly be a wonderful option.  I have done this before when living in a soft water area.  My tanks were exclusively filled with rain water or borehole water (when not enough) which was perfect.   @ ian_m  -  Breeding is not an issue.  This is a lounge tank part of the decor.  I just want to have great plants and very healthy fish.  I want to stock with only Amazonian fish.  The Carbonator will disappear when I install the DIY CO" unit ( Citric Acid and Baking soda ).  I am not too sure what you mean by "the scale on non visible" ...  if you mean the hardware,  Heater,  thermostat and measuring apparatus is absent from the tank.  Only the inlet and outlet are visible and will be replaced with glass units.  Everything will happen in prefilter and inline units out of sight.  I'm filtering with an Eheim 2228 without the heating unit.  @ Andy - As mentioned before,  my only concern is the health of the inhabitants.


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## Planted Bows (5 Apr 2017)

I buy RO from my Lfs which I get 25 litres at a time. I however only have a 30 litre tank, so when I do water changes I mix ro with tap water. The only reason I do this is for my shrimp that prefer a tds of 100/150.

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## iDigit (1 May 2017)

Hello all.

I thought I would update you all on whats been happening with this new set up. A month has passed and the tank has cycled. I have added the fish and they have now been residing in it for a week. I have had no deaths so far.

My last 2 water changes were done with rain water I have been able to collect. I now have about 100lit of rain water in storage which is being aerated or circulated using a pump and a light filter to prevent the water stagnating.

I am including with this post my last 4 water parameter tests for you all to see what has happened. I am pleased to report that I have achieved these results without CO2 as of yet. 

The rain water has certainly, I believe, contributed to the dramatic drop in the GH which was my primary concern. I had some melt off of only one plant type, unfortunately, I do not know its name. Only one tiny stem is still alive and I am hoping this one will be able to establish itself. 

The plants in the tank are as follows :

Bucephelandra wavy leaf green
Bucephelandra wavy leaf red ( although the red is very feint IMO.)
Amazon Sword
Various Echinadorus
Cryptocorynne
3 different mosses ... one is Christmas moss I believe.
Babys tears
Pogostemon helferi
Bolbitis ( 2 types, a big leaf one and a little leaf one)
Banana plants
Tiger lotus
Some anubias ( small leaf - I think the melted one is also one such )
a large Aponogeton Ulvaceus
Some "moss balls"
and what I think is Sagitaria variety .... like a Valisnaria Gigantea but not as Gigantic.

Fish population :

Rummy nose ~ 9
neaon tetras ~ 12
Lemon tetras ~ 4
Copper tetras ~ 4
Corydoras ( Julie, 3 stripe and copper) ~7
Otocinclus ~6
Fire tetras ( really small ) ~6
2 Splash tetras 

I also have 4 Nerite snails and some Amano Shrimp.

I plan to add :

koi angels ~ 5
Otcinclus ~ 6
Splash Tetras ~ 4
Lemn tetras ~ 4
Copper tetras ~ 4
Corydoras julie ~ 4

This, I think, will be my total population.

I will also be adding sppagnum moss to my filter once I get the CO2 running. I am missing one component for the CO2 system.

Speaking of the CO2, I am going to be using a citric soda and baking powder mixture to test out the CO2 before perhaps investing ( when I have the cash) on a pressurised system.

Later this evening I will add some pics of the tank. I have too much reflection during the day.

Thanks to all who have followed this lead and contributed to the need for information.

Cheers


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## alto (1 May 2017)

No idea of the JBL proscan so won't comment on that, though I'm also of the mind to just use your tap & choose suitable fish .... being prepared for (large) emergency water changes is key when altering tank water away from tap water parameters; usually stored water volume is limited so check out local shop availability should you need larger amounts

Loooking at fish numbers, I'd be inclined to skip the angels - they are big fish when mature - as your tank would be overstocked by any conventional "standards" should you add all the listed fish
Heavily planted (& several fast growers) & careful management re feeding & water changes does facilitate overstocking but it's far easier to manage an understocked tank especially should you go on holiday etc

With that number of otos, definitely plan on supplemental feeding with various vegetables (some otos need "training" before they'll accept alternate foods)


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