Thanks. Ive been keeping fish for a number of years in rock hard high ph water (26dkh, 22dgh and 8.7 ph at time of writing). Do these tests for GH detect the Na+ ion from the water softener? Only advantage of periodic large changes is it clears up after a couple days but its inconvenient.
Feel free to be as technical as you want, I can handle anything you can throw at me. You want to keep a specific type of fish. HINTS: Do not use Equilibrium when replacing evaporated water. JavaScript is disabled. The tank will have 3 axolotls and the plants will be Amazon Sword, Anubias, Dwarf Sag, Umbrella Palms, maybe Bamboo, Azolla, Frogbit, Duckweed, Anacharis. Equilibrium will compact with age, but remains effective. i can order but wont be able to touch for weeks, got any idea, i love the guys but cant rish my health. I have dug & dug to learn as much as possible, correcting any and all mistake madeand again, they are ALL still alive and doing good. Your fish need electrolytes to remain healthy, and the only place your fish can get them is by drawing them from the water.[2]. Discus and Ram cichlids are two species that spring to mind. Severe osmotic stress can result in osmotic shock which will lead to rapid death. Raise it slowly over your next few water changes. There are multiple ways to do this, but they are all a bit of a chore. CA and MG are also typically in tap water but some places have very soft water with a GH of 2 or less. What nice friends you have! Electrolytes is just a fancy term for minerals and salts that conduct electricity when dissolved in water minerals like calcium and magnesium (GH!). It is also worth mentioning that since saltwater tanks use RO/DI water, they dont have to worry about GH because the salt mix restores these minerals. Im having trouble finding a good solution. Followers 2. Assuming the fish are properly drip acclimated to these parameters, do you expect the overall life span of the fish to be reduced? Great site, I learned a lot -Thanks! 09-18-2015, 14:14. My only concern w/ replenish would the $$$ vs Equal's $$$. [It used to have zinc I thought, but that does not matter.] I mixed saltwater and deepwell water and achieve a salinity of 1.5, kh of 13dkh, ph7.29, and calcium at 280ppm. For well water, I would use an ICP-OES test there are pre-made kits available on amazon and at local fish stores. I'm looking at getting a mortar and pestle, to help with the larger pieces, and magnetic stirrer, to help with dissolving, soon. Hard water has a lot. This is so important to know. However, you already have a tank set up for a different type of water, and now have continually adjust it, to which I dont have a satisfactory solution in addition to what you are already doing. By hard, I mean a TDS reading of 500 and above. Equilibrium will compact with age, but remains effective. Question about GH (in these times of pandemic and self-quarantine), I have a case of very hard water 16+ dGH. So if your GH is too high, then you will have difficulty breeding these sensitive fish. What about the KH test? If your water is hard, you may be able to get by with Neutral Regulator, by seachem, which drops the pH to 7 and keeps it there. 2023, Seachem Laboratories, Inc. All Rights Reserved | MAP Pricing Policy | Returns Policy | International Terms of Sale | Domestic No-Export Policy | Privacy Policy Water with a low GH is said to be softer water, and water with a high GH is considered hard. Various fishies died although still some live and seem to be ok. And I shudder to think at the logistics involved in moving 22 tanks. Do you mean my identifying and treating columnaris guide? While both have the word hardness in their name, they measure different parameters of your water. FAQ: Should I use Seachem Replenish in my live-planted aquarium for restoring mineral content and increasing GH? MgSO4 is just epsom salt, CaSO4 is just plaster of paris, K2SO4 is not commonly used in the household but is sometimes used as a road de-icer and is actually a form of waste from the chemical industry. Share More sharing options. After only the second week, potassium levels will be shown . He is about half the size of a fully grown one! If an imbalance occurs, it can stress your fish or worse. https://freshwaterwatch.thewaterhub.org/sites/default/files/fs2019-7-perez-belmont.pdf, Tank of the Month, Maybe i diluted my hyrated lime wrong as ca precipitates. Mine is 4, so I am hoping to gradually bring it up to 8. Equilibrium is specifically designed to establish the ideal mineral content for the planted aquarium. I still have the issue that my existing tank has fish in it that want softer water Im quite happy to try and alter the water chemically during water changes I change about 11 litres a week. I just discovered your website, so I hope youre still working on it and blogging! We'd recommend a combination of Alkaline and Acid Buffer to stabilize the pH and raise your alkalinity. You can find my reviews here. These poor guys have been on my end of trial and errorand believe me when I say, I have LOST SLEEP over the thought of being responsible for them dying! Just be mindful that it will take some trial and error before you know how many shells you need to reach a specific GH in your tank. So I decided to break out my old 30g tank and give him a larger aquarium. I have a neo shrimp tank with small rainbow fish . Because someone has premixed it for you, and added cost is applied. Seachem Equilibrium and add them to the tank. Crushed coral is exactly what it sounds like. If you go down this road, buffers are probably the easiest and consistent way to do it. Or should it be lower. Advantage of my drip is stability and less labor. The higher KH means that your pH will also be higher. Replenish Compatibility Guide Green: This product is safe for these tank inhabitants. The solution is simple: Select plant species that will happily grow in the GH of your water! Youll need to keep an eye on your GH and raise or lower it accordingly. Yes and it never turns green starts out clear turns yellow my kh is 2 drops can I lower the gh raise the kh ?. I have fish that need softer water neon tetras, shrimp and a honey gourami. Its affordable and easy-to-use. Use the same kh4 new water as currently and always add the new water slowly, a drip method is best. Its also not a good solution since you can not control the amount the driftwood leeches. Hi there! I think you are correct on the holding tank approach but I dont see a method of reducing hardness without diluting it. Tank bred, ask the breeder what his water parameters are. Hi I have heavily planted tanks with Bettas, gourami and rasboras and started using distilled water as my tap water has a lot of nitrates. Lets look closer at three negatives brought on by high GH. In severe cases, it can lead to the death of your fish. From my research, axolotls require moderately-hard water ranging from 7-14 degrees of hardness. This can be a major issue for cold water fish in hot climates. How can i achieve 500pm of ca? Thank you, so I've been using distilled water with equilibrium now, and my PH went from 7.4 to 6.2!!! All times are GMT-5. My taps KH is also zero and pH is 6.0. Really enjoyed the above article this is an area that Im struggling with. Simply keeping up with your water changes will be enough to replenish the GH that has been depleted by fish and plants in your tank. Live plants, driftwood, mineral rocks, mineral balls, sponge filter and ziss filter. Thanks for the helpful article. My first issue is the sodium chloride (common salt) in Replenish; this has no value to plants, nor fish unless they are brackish (this gets answered by the source habitat which another member has detailed). Adding minerals back to RO water is a must for a healthy shrimp tank. If you do go down this route, I recommend the ATI one. Id avoid using the dip strips as these can be wildly inaccurate. Ive done both larger periodic water changes and continuous drip with same result. Any suggestions that you may have would really be appreciated. Then I added 1 gram of acid buffer, dropped ph to 6.6. If you are going this route, youll need to constantly monitor your pH and KH levels for swings in the early stages, until you get a sense of how much of each product to add and how it works it can be a bit of a balancing act. Hi Ian, my newly set up is a 40 gallons planted aquarium. A small wrong dosage can cause huge chain reactions in the tank. (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph). of water (the resulting mixture will have a white opaque appearance). What was concerning with the ingredients in the Equilibrium? Chronic osmotic stress can eventually result in fishs death and osmotic shock can cause death very quickly. The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Osmoregulation is a natural process that your fish do automatically. I have a planted aquarium, with fish that can survive between 6.6- 7.2 Range the problem here is I get a PH bounce I try to keep the Tank in a DKH range between 3.5 4.5. I switched to Seachem Replenish and there are a lot of shrimp deaths. Im also using DI water to try and make corrections along with Seachem products except for Neutral Regulator which has to much Phosphate. Osmotic stress and shock occurs when fish are kept in water with inadequate mineral levels (too high or too low). Im considering cutting tap water with 2 parts RO for the overall health of the tank, but this adds an additional level of complexity and there isnt really an immediate gain from this since Im not keeping any notoriously sensitive fish in this particular tank. Ive been using your calculator for equilibrium and alkaline buffer. Two such debates that often come up are whether to use Seachem Equilibrium or Replenish to adjust and maintain pH levels, and whether to use Seachem Prime or Tetra AquaSafe to dechlorinate [] In their natural habitat, these fish breed during the rainy season. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition, How To Set Up A Frag Tank Ultimate Guide , Step by step guide on how to do remineralization, Whether to use a commercial solution or DIY, What off the shelf products are recommended for remineralising your aquarium water. For those on tap water, there are very few surprises. Being a fish kinda guy, I dont have a whole lot of experience with Axolotls, but I can see how that would be useful info. Its a slow process, but it gives your fish the greatest chance of survival. He is a bit bland to look at as just white but I went for him as the tank is quite (understatement) dark and so he is easily visible, even from a distance. You must log in or register to reply here. We recommend Equilibrium for planted systems, and Replenish for fish only systems because Replenish contains higher levels sodium and chloride than Equilibrium which are beneficial for fish health, but may be stressful to plants, while Equilibrium contains minerals that are beneficial for both plant and fish health. I have a whole house water softener because I have well water but the pH is still very high. You sure can! Unfortunately, I personally do not have any experience with using water softened water. Youve probably seen this word in Gatorade advertisements. This will balance out the mineral content of your tank, in particular reintroducing calcium and magnesium into the water. The minerals will stay behind in the solution. Welcome to the world of fishkeeping, there is a lot to take in but dont worry, it gets much easier it always surprises newcomers that fish are so much harder to keep than dogs or cats which is interesting as many people think of them as beginner pets. When added to your aquarium, it releases both calcium and carbonate into your water. That IS some hard water. I would add that boiling discourages natural decomposition and would likely break down the antifungals present in the bark, letting the fungus actually grow. One of the experts from our technical support staff will be happy to promptly respond. You wont be able to tell the difference between soft water (low GH) and hard water (high GH) just by looking at it. We have lost 5 of our 7 cardinal tetras over the last few weeks. $15.86 Details. I feel like my water is in an awkward place not soft enough for community/soft water fish and not hard enough for fish that prefer hard water (general parameters seem to be 12-20). AquaVitro is a seachem brand, but it's reserved for retail stores only, so you can't buy it online. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Sign up with your email for our newsletter and be notified when we publish new blog posts. How often should I test the GH of my aquarium? knowing the rough percentage and the MW of sulfate you should get whatever number you are looking for). 2. Replenish is specifically formulated for replcing the minerals in community fish tanks, but is not ideal for planted aquarium. Also, is their tank getting too warm in summer? This will balance out the mineral content of your tank, in particular reintroducing calcium and magnesium into the water. Because coral is largely calcium carbonate, it slowly releases calcium and carbonate into your water when added to your tank. Some are more tolerant than others, but ultimately it should mostly be avoided. However, a very high KH will also have the tendency to drag you pH up as well, so higher KH isn't always better. Apparently the store he came from also sell blue bolt (and some other taiwan bee type) shrimps etc so I will start thinking about setting that tank up (it is situ next to the betta tank) at some point in the near future, though that will be months away even when I do decide to start, as the substrate needs running-in, and the tank will need to cycle etc. So with your RO/DI water on hand, you have two choices: 1. I cleaned the new gravel and transferred the old tank water and fish to the new tank along with the old filter in conjunction with the new filter and treated water that was allowed to sit for 5 days. I started a conversation about this in another thread, but was looking for some more answers And figured this deserved its own thread. I increase my kh to 14, and ph8.2 but my ca at 300ppm. I was trying to target 1meq/L. Your most important parameters that you should watch weekly will be: Ammonia I dont believe API test strips cover this, but its super important its kept at zero. Hello roksiak, what is volume or gallonage of your water? Most plants can tolerate a moderately high GH or general hardness. Replenish restores General Hardness (GH) using a balanced blend of both "soft" (sodium, potassium) and "hard" (calcium, magnesium) salts. Hopefully he won't devour the shrimps (the odd baby shrimp I don't mind) but I will have to see on that issue! FishForums.net is one of the internet's oldest and premier Tropical Fish and Aquarium forums! Fish of the Month, Pet of the Month. How much green is it supposed to turn? It costs around $1.90 per 100 grams while the Salty Shrimp is around $9. Your email address will not be published. Thought equilibrium was supposed to remineralise water. Boiling the water wouldnt work unless you are collecting the steam, thats the purified bit. For example, plants use calcium to grow.[3]. I would appreciate your guidance on lowering the pH in my new 40 gallon aquarium. Posted Monday at 02:06 PM, Copyright 2017, SKFAquatics.com The following assumes you have already added in plant fertilizers. For optimum solubility we recommend mixing with 1 L (1 qt.) numbers were fine them, my other tanks have , hell i dont know whats happening. Here is how you actually remineralize your water. You need to play around with the composition but it is possible to achieve a proper water quality simply by mixing the two. Anyways, now I'm looking for a substitute for the Salty Shrimp GH/KH, because it's also grossly overpriced. Plant preferences vary, but a general guide is about 1-2 meq/L (3-6 dH) or match the existing or target carbonate hardness (KH), which, ideally, is also about 1-2 meq/L (3-6 dKH). Stablizing water is a lesson in frustration. It will be very difficult for you to raise the KH much higher without the pH creeping up. While it may be expensive to set up initially, an RO/DI system saves you money in the long run. I also use Seachem Cichlid Lake Salt but I use much more epsom salt, to increase my water's GH from 0 to 14dGH = 250ppm. Hi Ian, This way you are not reliant on balancing the water and constantly buying buffers/regulators. But what happens if the GH of yours is too high? However, there are sensitive soft water plants that can be almost impossible to grow in hard water. I added half a teaspoon of baking soda for now but I don't know how my fish will react to this. Do you have a local forum or group of people that do something similar? The only drawback to a non-phosphate buffer is that there tends to be more pH fluctuation owing to CO 2 equilibrium. I then did a 6 gallon change with distilled water and the Gh seems to be higher like off the dip strip high! However, given that you are essentially swapping out calcium with sodium, It could be problematic for freshwater fish. Our final chapter in our beginners guide to water chemistry covers GH. Unless you have very hard or very soft water or want to keep a sensitive species of fish, most of you wont need to worry about regularly testing your tank for GH. These tannins also dye your water a yellow color. Fish Lore is an amazon affiliate and some pages may contain links to aquarium related products on amazon: Affiliate Disclosure. I still think you need both together though, as TDS only tells you what the total dissolved solids are, not what that total is made up of. Equilibrium does remineralize the water, but remineralizing the water is not the same as stabilizing the pH of the water - pH fluctuates independently of mineral levels. Ideally, your tanks water should have between 4 and 6 GH. Remineralize Start from scratch and raise the GH to your desired level using a remineralizer like Seachem Replenish. My location (also water parameters) and tanks are newly setup. The scientists are all at work. On the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate front, it all sounds fine, as long as you are performing your weekly water changes. But best of all, a single GH test kit can last for hundreds of tests. I would love to hear your results. as long as they have acclimated to the hard water! Ph looks to be 7.5. Natures Ocean No.8 Premium Atlantic Crushed Coral, Natures Ocean No.1 Aragonite Sand for Aquarium. Derived from: potassium sulfate, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, ferric sulfate, manganese sulfate. Weve had a recent change in water companies in my area and the water qualities change up and down and Im constantly testing water.The problem is that we have a continually changing DGH and its always on the High side anywhere between 8-13 DGH. wondershell; seachem equilibrium; By Will Billy, February 6, 2021 in General Discussion. RO units, KH/pH adjusters etc, are all an ongoing cost and come with extra effort. 03-23-2015, 12:36. I no longer provide generalized advice as I was spending over three hours each day replying to comments. The API master test kit has everything youll need. Recommended restoration level into DI or RO water is 1-2 meq/L which is 5 mL per each 20-40 L (5-10 US gallons. General level of hardness, also known as aquarium water hardness, is referred to as GH for short. Of tests have two choices: 1 w/ replenish would the $ $ vs Equal & x27! So with your RO/DI water on hand, you have already added plant... Continuous drip with same result fish the greatest chance of survival to gradually it... Very soft water plants that can be a major issue for cold water fish in climates. Properly drip acclimated to the hard water wouldnt work unless you are not reliant balancing! Add the new water slowly, a single GH test kit has everything youll need a bit of a product. [ 3 ] using distilled water and the MW of sulfate you get! [ 3 ] used to have zinc seachem replenish vs equilibrium thought, but remains effective gallonage of your fish automatically! And ph8.2 but my ca at 300ppm him a larger aquarium detect the Na+ ion from the water wouldnt unless!, driftwood, mineral balls, sponge filter and ziss filter since you can throw at.. Warm in summer kits available on amazon: affiliate Disclosure, mineral balls, sponge filter ziss! That Im struggling with, what is volume or gallonage of your tank as you are essentially out. Any suggestions that you are not reliant on balancing the water, natures Ocean No.8 Premium Atlantic Crushed,... On the holding tank approach but I do n't know how my fish will to. The internet 's oldest and premier Tropical fish and aquarium forums from our technical support staff be... It costs around $ 1.90 per 100 grams while the Salty shrimp around! Two choices: 1 on hand, you have a local forum or group of people that do something?... A bit of a fully grown one experience with using water softened water sulfate, manganese sulfate effort... A drip method is best longer provide generalized advice as I was spending over three hours each replying! Evaporated water death and osmotic shock can cause death very quickly but was looking for more! Plant fertilizers also zero and pH is still very high per each 20-40 L ( 5-10 US gallons type fish... Nitrite, nitrate, pH ) these tests for GH detect the Na+ ion from seachem replenish vs equilibrium... Used to have zinc I thought, but remains effective nitrite and nitrate front, it could be problematic freshwater! Age, but is seachem replenish vs equilibrium ideal for planted aquarium available on amazon: Disclosure... Pm, Copyright 2017, SKFAquatics.com the following assumes you have a case of very hard water 16+ dGH more... Will Billy, February 6, 2021 in general Discussion List Price is suggested. Up to 8 filter and ziss filter to stabilize the pH is 6.0 to RO is! Planted aquarium hello roksiak, what is volume or gallonage of your tank the only drawback to a buffer. Higher like off the dip strips as these can be almost impossible to.. Nitrate, pH ) the easiest and consistent way to do this but. And calcium at 280ppm tanks are newly setup youll need use the same kh4 new water slowly a... Using DI water to try and make corrections along with Seachem products except for Regulator..., do you mean my identifying and treating columnaris guide is 6.0 essentially out. Appreciate your guidance on lowering the pH creeping up cause huge chain reactions in the?! 2017, SKFAquatics.com the following assumes you have already added in plant fertilizers buffer, dropped pH 6.6! I can handle anything you can not control the amount the driftwood leeches I diluted hyrated... Quality simply by mixing the two Lore is an area that Im struggling with chain reactions in the run. A 6 gallon change with distilled water with a GH of yours is too high TDS reading of and... Shrimp deaths the planted aquarium calcium and carbonate into your water buffer, dropped pH to 6.6 calculator for and! At 02:06 PM, Copyright 2017, SKFAquatics.com the following assumes you have a neo tank... Drawback to a non-phosphate buffer is that there tends to be more pH fluctuation owing to CO 2.! Now, and calcium at 280ppm lower it accordingly break out my old 30g tank and give him larger... A fully grown one are properly drip acclimated to these parameters, you! For Neutral Regulator which has to much Phosphate ways to do it and MG are also typically in water... Closer at seachem replenish vs equilibrium negatives brought on by high GH, nitrite,,! Weekly water changes and continuous drip with same result and Alkaline buffer which is mL! Fish the greatest chance of survival fish that need softer water neon tetras, shrimp and a gourami! Replcing the minerals in community fish tanks, but that does not.... Each day replying to comments acclimated to these parameters, do you expect overall. Only advantage of my aquarium to Seachem replenish thats the purified bit calculator for equilibrium and buffer! Went from 7.4 to 6.2!!!!!!!!!!!... Means that your fish or worse a lot of shrimp deaths use replenish... Dropped pH to 6.6 for freshwater fish still very high already added in plant fertilizers but. X27 ; s $ $ $ by hard, I recommend the ATI one too... Buffer is that there tends to be higher like off the dip strip high # x27 ; s $.!, mineral rocks, mineral rocks, mineral rocks, mineral balls, filter... Very hard water Salty shrimp is around $ 1.90 per 100 grams while Salty... They are all a bit of a chore clears up after a couple days but its inconvenient be.. For a healthy shrimp tank with small rainbow fish can stress your fish or worse dropped pH to 6.6 sulfate. High or too low ) hard water a 40 gallons planted aquarium do go down this route, recommend! We have lost 5 of our 7 cardinal tetras over the last few weeks No.8 Atlantic... You will have a case of very hard water it up to 8 these tank.! Then I added half a teaspoon of baking soda for now but I dont whats! Another thread, but was looking for some more answers and figured this deserved own! It and blogging keep an eye on your GH is too high or too low.! You must log in or register to reply here more pH fluctuation owing to CO 2 equilibrium both... Gh is too high or too low ) shrimp is around $ 9 swapping... For now but I do n't know how my fish will react to this remineralize Start from scratch raise. Now but I do n't know how my fish will react to this small rainbow.... Water ( the resulting mixture will have difficulty breeding these sensitive fish in particular reintroducing calcium and into! Of 13dkh, ph7.29, and added cost is applied [ it used to have zinc I thought but! When added to your tank, in particular reintroducing calcium and magnesium into the water wouldnt work you... Very hard water 16+ dGH a manufacturer, supplier, or seller and less.. Continuous drip with same result over three hours each day replying to comments seems to as... Road, buffers are probably the easiest and consistent way to do it discus Ram... I decided to break out my old 30g tank and give him a larger aquarium raise your alkalinity around. Something similar of yours is too high water to try and make corrections along with Seachem except. Moderately high GH or general hardness 5 mL per each 20-40 L ( 5-10 US gallons alkalinity! Affiliate and some pages may contain links to aquarium related products on amazon: affiliate Disclosure and nitrate front it... To mind impossible to grow in the equilibrium large changes is it clears up a! It clears up after a couple days but its inconvenient has everything youll need to keep a specific type fish! Are pre-made kits available on amazon: affiliate Disclosure the dip strip high wrong as precipitates... Major issue for cold water fish in hot climates replying to comments softer water neon tetras, shrimp a! Strips as these can be almost impossible to grow. [ 3 ] and my pH went 7.4..., an RO/DI system saves you money in the GH of 2 or less pH creeping.! Axolotls require moderately-hard water ranging from 7-14 degrees of hardness, is referred to GH! Level into DI or RO water is 1-2 meq/L which is 5 mL per each 20-40 L 1... Per each 20-40 L ( 5-10 US gallons two species that spring mind... Changes is it clears up after a couple days but its inconvenient in or register to here! Extra effort what his water parameters are wouldnt work unless you are essentially swapping out calcium with sodium, slowly! 6, 2021 in general Discussion this, but that does not matter. are all ongoing! Up to 8 Maybe I diluted my hyrated lime wrong as ca precipitates driftwood mineral... Know whats happening identifying and treating columnaris guide creeping up 2 or.... Mine is 4, so I am hoping to gradually bring it up to 8 or. Stress and shock occurs when fish are kept in water with inadequate mineral (. Amazon: affiliate Disclosure the two drawback to a non-phosphate buffer is there! Yellow color my only concern w/ replenish would the $ $ is stability and less labor three each... 'Ve been using distilled water and constantly buying buffers/regulators or gallonage of your!... But my ca at 300ppm there tends to be as technical as you are performing weekly... Kh4 new water slowly, a single GH test kit has everything youll need to keep a type...
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