Re: hard water low alkaline

>>>>> >I have very hard water and very low alkaline (which I presume
>>>>> >means it's
>>>>> >acidic). What type of community fish thrive best in these
>>>>> >conditions
>>>>> >please? (don't want to mess around with the water)
>>>>> > thanks
>>>>> Should have elaborated on that more I suppose. - ph is 6.6 -6.8, 0
>>>>> ammonia,
>>>>> nil nitrite, nitrate stays at around 20ppm, tank is planted, set up
>>>>> for
>>>>> about 12 months, currently holding a couple of gouramis, a couple
>>>>> of
>>>>> Congo
>>>>> tetras, some neons and some rummy nose and a couple of cories. All
>>>>> been
>>>>> quite happy for about 9 months. Tank is 75 gals by the way. Oh
>>>>> also
>>>>> have a
>>>>> damn Indian algae eater that terrorises every bloody fish in there.
>>>>> I
>>>>> spend
>>>>> many hours each week trying to catch the damn thing without any
>>>>> luck.
>>>>
>>>> Build a fish trap;
>>>> Take a plastic soda (pop) bottle, cut the top off past were the neck
>>>> curves out to the bodies width. Invert the neck into the bottom, put
>>>> an
>>>> algea waffer or other food item into the bottom. Now sink it, the
>>>> fish
>>>> will swim in and not find his way out.
>>>> <http://www.floridadriftwood.com/fish_trap.htm>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Jim Anderson
>>>> ( 8(|) To email me just pull my_finger
>>>
>>> Many thanks for that - I'll have a go. It can go and terrorise the
>>> bush fish for a while!
>>> Re the water GH from tank is 200, KH is virtually nil. (And readings
>>> are same for all four tanks by the way, including the cw goldie tank.
>>> Main trop tank has been set up for about 12 months, cw for a couple
>>> of years and smaller gourami tank and bush fish tank for about 6
>>> months )
>>> Tap water is GH 100, KH nil. I used to add coral to the filter
>>> because there are one or two mollies in there but at the moment I
>>> have charcoal in the main tank filter and they still seem happy and
>>> are still breeding. (Really must move that male!) I have nothing in
>>> the other tank filters. I don't really want to start having to add
>>> chemicals etc to the water - I'd rather try to choose fish that like
>>> the conditions than to adapt the conditions to the fish

>>
>>
>> Tank water is 11dgH (I think in dgH a perfectly good simplified system
>> for aquariums), tap water is 5.6dgH. According to faq.thekrib.com,
>> your tap water is soft (4-8dgH) and your tank is medium-hard (8-12dgH,
>> and their are 3 more hardness categories after that).
>>
>> I'm at a loss to explain the 5dgH difference between tap and tank,
>> unless you are doing too infrequent water changes. I'm also uncertain
>> about your 0dkH buffer. Your water source must go through a unique
>> sequence of media before it reaches your home. Yours might be the
>> best application for adding baking soda, that I have ever seen, but
>> where your pH would naturally level at is a bit of a mystery given
>> your current parameters. I'm usually a big fan of matching fish to
>> water and leaving the water mostly alone, but your recipe has some
>> drawbacks which you should be aware of.
>>
>> Incidentally, your subject line might be changing. Currently you are
>> low alkalinity and slightly acidic, but adding baking soda will
>> increase your alkalinity which might change your acidic water to
>> become alkaline.
>>
>> The hazards are as follows: low alkalinity (dkH or buffer) results in
>> water which is prone to pH swings and there are many thing in an
>> aquarium which can try to move the pH around. Most minerals and at
>> some stages, waste will raise pH. Acids (ie: carbonic acid from CO2
>> injection), plant and animal decay and at most other stages - waste
>> will lower pH, and water changes will flip the pH closer to tap water
>> conditions. With sufficient buffer (ie: 5dkH), your buffer will be
>> affected (which fish are oblivious to), instead of your pH (which fish
>> have varying degrees of sensitivity to change in).
>>
>> Another hazard is that unless you are heavily planted, you rely
>> heavily on nitrifying bacteria to remove toxins (NH3, NO2) from the
>> water by converting them to NO3. These bacteria survive poorly under
>> acidic (low pH) conditions. Fortunately, ammonia also remains in more
>> of the non-toxic NH4 state under acidic conditions, but if your buffer
>> is low and your pH starts bouncing around..... I don't need to draw
>> you a map ;~).
>>
>> --
>> www.NetMax.tk

>
> Oh dear - I'm totally lost when it comes to water chemistry (or any
> chemistry for that matter). I've just tested my tap water again, using
> a different test kit and the first readings are definitely right. I am
> very very reluctant to start adding anything to the water. The tank
> currently has some mollies, neons, a couple of clown loach, a couple of
> gouramis, 5 hatchets, 5 glass catfish, an angel and a couple of plecs.
> All (touch wood) seem healthy, eat well etc. All have been in for at
> least 4 months. I have removed carbon from filters now so how about I
> go back to adding the coral to the filter? The ph rises very gradually
> then. (Readings today after water change PH 6.6, ammonia 0 Nitrite 0
> Nitrate 20ppm, GH 150 KH still virtually nil. same for other tanks
> except cw where the ph is 7)