Drip Loop
06-11-2008, 01:43 AM
I currently have 3 tanks setup at my home. I figure if I list my tap water parameters maybe I can get some opinions on why they are the way they are and what I can do to them to suit all my fish.
Tank 1 (16gal heavy planted bowfront) - Community tank (tetras, rasboras, corys, otos, cherry barbs, cherry shrimp)
PH - 7.4 (This is going down as soon as my Co2 begins tomorrow)
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10
KH - 3
GH - 15 (higher than tap water perhaps from liquid ferts and dry tab ferts??)
Tank 2 (55gal African cichlid) - syndontis multi, bristlenose, various Africans
Ph - 8.4 8.5ish
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 60-70 (water change done already after noticing)
KH - 9 (added baking soda during water change to supplement tap)
GH - 8-9 (im guessing inaccurate reading cause there are no ferts or plants in this tank so can assume same as tap i guess)
Tank 3 (2.5 hex cherry shrimps) - Just three cherrys with sponge filter
Newly setup with only the three shrimp, regular 40% water change everyweek and light feeding so should be no problem here.
My Local Tap water (I live in Florida where limestone is prominent underground)
PH - 8.6ish
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
KH - 2
GH - 7
Ph is very high but carbonate buffer is really low. Why does this occur? Am I to then assume just a little acid buffer will bring that PH down with relative ease? If at all possible I would like to use this tap water for my community tank somehow considering the price of all the bottled water I get. R/O is unlikely for a few months or longer. I know that most fish can adapt to a wide range of PH, but it seems that would have to be too high for tetras to do well right?
Thank you
Tank 1 (16gal heavy planted bowfront) - Community tank (tetras, rasboras, corys, otos, cherry barbs, cherry shrimp)
PH - 7.4 (This is going down as soon as my Co2 begins tomorrow)
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10
KH - 3
GH - 15 (higher than tap water perhaps from liquid ferts and dry tab ferts??)
Tank 2 (55gal African cichlid) - syndontis multi, bristlenose, various Africans
Ph - 8.4 8.5ish
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 60-70 (water change done already after noticing)
KH - 9 (added baking soda during water change to supplement tap)
GH - 8-9 (im guessing inaccurate reading cause there are no ferts or plants in this tank so can assume same as tap i guess)
Tank 3 (2.5 hex cherry shrimps) - Just three cherrys with sponge filter
Newly setup with only the three shrimp, regular 40% water change everyweek and light feeding so should be no problem here.
My Local Tap water (I live in Florida where limestone is prominent underground)
PH - 8.6ish
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
KH - 2
GH - 7
Ph is very high but carbonate buffer is really low. Why does this occur? Am I to then assume just a little acid buffer will bring that PH down with relative ease? If at all possible I would like to use this tap water for my community tank somehow considering the price of all the bottled water I get. R/O is unlikely for a few months or longer. I know that most fish can adapt to a wide range of PH, but it seems that would have to be too high for tetras to do well right?
Thank you