-
You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up
Is my tap water ok.
- Thread starter Lee iley
- Start date
Hi Darrel some in my water report my 7.14 hardness Clarke once I have converted that to german dkh that is my gh? So now I have solved that how do I get my tds reading or does that not really matter. Thanks lee
Parablennius
Member
Moults of crustacea in the wild depend on a variety of factors including temp, photoperiod, food, seasons and probably available minerals. Also, at least where crabs are concerned, females can only be inseminated as the female moults and is available. This is why you see pics of crabs being " carried" by another, waiting for the " moment critique" as it were. In the lab, crabs have been shown to moult when their eye stalks were removed, obviously a photoperiod/ hormone issue.( not that I would condone this activity, of course). I don't actually keep freshwater crustacea but have kept marine, native and tropical for years. Also worth keeping in mind that species have varying ratios of calcium in their exoskeleton, compare a shrimp to a lobster, for example.
Cheers
Hi all,
cheers Darrel
It doesn't really matter, you would need a low range conductivity (TDS) meter to measure it in the tank. Have a look at <"new to this..."> and <"Still very confused......">.
cheers Darrel
Hi Darrel what do you mean I would need a low range conductivity tds meter to measure in the tank? I thought my tds was low? Also are kh and Gh measured the same? So for example my gh 5.7 I think will that be the same for my Kh also if it wasn't for you I wouldn't know about these things so thank you for your help it means a lot. Cheers Lee.
Hi all,
If you added calcium chloride (CaCl2.6H2O) it would raise dGH, but not dKH, and potassium bicabonate (KHCO3) would raises dKH, but not dGH.
Conductivity meters sold for hydroponics often measure up to 19,000 microS, but you need a low range meter that ranges up to 1999 microS. If you set the measurement unit to "ppm TDS", the machine multiplies the conductivity value by 0.64.
The reason for measuring conductivity is that you have a tap supply which varies through the year (from the report you had minimum amd maximum conductivity values of 160 microS and 405 microS), but only one hardness value "5.7", presumably an average. Because your conductivity value changed through the year it is likely that sometimes the hardness value in your tap water was higher than 5.7 and sometimes it was lower.
I use rain-water in the tanks, this is also variable, higher conductivity/dGH/dKH in the summer (when it doesn't rain as much and it is dusty) and lower in the winter. The lowest rain-water value I've ever measured was ~30 microS and the highest ~150microS. I have a tap supply that comes from a deep limestone aquifer and the conductivity is always in the range 650 - 750 microS, and the hardness somewhere around 17dKH, it only changes a very small amount through the year.
I know now to add a dash of tap water (adds TDS, dGH & dKH) to the water changes in the winter, and a dash of RO water in the summer.
cheers Darrel
Yes it should be, because your source of hardness is from dissolved limestone CaCO3 which is usual in the UK. You've added 1:1 Ca (measured as dGH) and CO3 (measured as dKH).
If you added calcium chloride (CaCl2.6H2O) it would raise dGH, but not dKH, and potassium bicabonate (KHCO3) would raises dKH, but not dGH.
You can measure the TDS in the tank water easily using an electronic conductivity meter, it doesn't tell you wnich ions you have, but it tells you the total amount.
Conductivity meters sold for hydroponics often measure up to 19,000 microS, but you need a low range meter that ranges up to 1999 microS. If you set the measurement unit to "ppm TDS", the machine multiplies the conductivity value by 0.64.
The reason for measuring conductivity is that you have a tap supply which varies through the year (from the report you had minimum amd maximum conductivity values of 160 microS and 405 microS), but only one hardness value "5.7", presumably an average. Because your conductivity value changed through the year it is likely that sometimes the hardness value in your tap water was higher than 5.7 and sometimes it was lower.
I use rain-water in the tanks, this is also variable, higher conductivity/dGH/dKH in the summer (when it doesn't rain as much and it is dusty) and lower in the winter. The lowest rain-water value I've ever measured was ~30 microS and the highest ~150microS. I have a tap supply that comes from a deep limestone aquifer and the conductivity is always in the range 650 - 750 microS, and the hardness somewhere around 17dKH, it only changes a very small amount through the year.
I know now to add a dash of tap water (adds TDS, dGH & dKH) to the water changes in the winter, and a dash of RO water in the summer.
cheers Darrel
Does kh matter like gh does or not? Do I need to worry about my kh? Cheers lee
Do I need to measure tds out of my tank? Or can I just go off my water report? Cheers lee
Hi all,
If you don't mind having snails in the tank you can use the shell of a snail as a good indicator of the hardness of the water (both dGH/dKH), the shell will lose colour if the water is soft or the pH below pH7.
Malaysian Trumpet Snails, Red Ramshorn and Tadpole snails are all reasonably tolerant of soft water, but most of the other snails (Nerites, Assassin Snails etc.) aren't.
cheers Darrel
I'm not sure for shrimps, some-one else will know. Usually they go up together, because the source of both is limestone.
It will change from the value on the water report dependent on the mix of water sources. A TDS meter will give you some idea, as the water gets harder the TDS value will go up, and as it gets softer it will go down.
If you don't mind having snails in the tank you can use the shell of a snail as a good indicator of the hardness of the water (both dGH/dKH), the shell will lose colour if the water is soft or the pH below pH7.
Malaysian Trumpet Snails, Red Ramshorn and Tadpole snails are all reasonably tolerant of soft water, but most of the other snails (Nerites, Assassin Snails etc.) aren't.
cheers Darrel
How much are the metres Darrel and were can I get one from? Also with the tds going up and down through the year what does that mean for my live stock? Will it not matter to them does tds effect gh/kh or not? I don't think my ph drops below 7 according to my water report. What do you do when your goes up and down? Cheers lee
