helphelp - really high water hardness

[Lily]

I have 9 guppies in an 80 litre tank (about 20gallon I think??) just a
corner filter, light, heater, plants and gravel. I bit the bullet and
coughed up $60 for a test kit for all the usuals. Acidity is 7.5, Nitrites
0ppm, Ammonia .25. What is really stressing me is that my waters hardness
is off the scale (the test kit reckons if you add 11-22 drops of reagent to
the sample, this goodfor rift cichlids I gave up counting at 30! )
My tap water is about 9 drops, but obviously the minerals have built up.
I have just done a 50% water change (I know adding MORE minerals) but my
problem is that I wont be able to buy water softeners for another week.
Is there any way I can bring down the hardness with stuff I may have around
the house?

Any advice much appreciated.
Cheers
Lilly

[NetMax]

"Lily" > wrote in message
...
> I have 9 guppies in an 80 litre tank (about 20gallon I think??) just a
> corner filter, light, heater, plants and gravel. I bit the bullet and
> coughed up $60 for a test kit for all the usuals. Acidity is 7.5,
Nitrites
> 0ppm, Ammonia .25. What is really stressing me is that my waters
hardness
> is off the scale (the test kit reckons if you add 11-22 drops of
reagent to
> the sample, this goodfor rift cichlids I gave up counting at 30! )
> My tap water is about 9 drops, but obviously the minerals have built
up.
> I have just done a 50% water change (I know adding MORE minerals) but
my
> problem is that I wont be able to buy water softeners for another week.
> Is there any way I can bring down the hardness with stuff I may have
around
> the house?
>
> Any advice much appreciated.
> Cheers
> Lilly


If you are using the Aquarium Pharmaceutics test kit, then each drop is
1dgH, and yes, 30dgH is high for Guppies (I try to keep my Africans below
30dgH). If your tap water is only 9dgH then water changes will bring
everything down. I don't see any need for a softener, just water changes
and an investigation as to what is leeching in your tank, or have you
just been replacing evaporation for a long time?

Your pH of 7.5 seems low to have had over 30dgH of hardness naturally.
Did you test your tap pH or your tank pH? Fresh well water pH will often
change after being aired out. I'd worry about your ammonia a bit. That
should always be zero, so something is not 100%.

mildly confused *sorry*
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Lily]

You're confused??? I wish I had never got the test kit now ;).

I think a lot of the problem is evaporation - it has been a hot summer and
water levels noticeably drop between water changes (weekly).
After the 50% water change, hardness now 23 gdh, nitrite still 0ppm, ph 7.2
and ammonia is ever so slightly over 0ppm.
I am feeling a bit more relaxed now.....

I am on town (treated) water and dont have a water tank unfortunately.
I am a bit worried that the gravel may have been getting a bit of an
anaerobic bacteria load, its a bit niffy when I vaccum it. Should it have
anaerobic activity?
I will do a 25% water change tommorrow, and keep monitoring. Havent even
got around to testing the GF tank...
thanks NetMax, I was stressing! ps, love your site...

Cheers
Lill


"NetMax" > wrote in message
m...
> "Lily" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I have 9 guppies in an 80 litre tank (about 20gallon I think??) just a
> > corner filter, light, heater, plants and gravel. I bit the bullet and
> > coughed up $60 for a test kit for all the usuals. Acidity is 7.5,
> Nitrites
> > 0ppm, Ammonia .25. What is really stressing me is that my waters
> hardness
> > is off the scale (the test kit reckons if you add 11-22 drops of
> reagent to
> > the sample, this goodfor rift cichlids I gave up counting at 30! )
> > My tap water is about 9 drops, but obviously the minerals have built
> up.
> > I have just done a 50% water change (I know adding MORE minerals) but
> my
> > problem is that I wont be able to buy water softeners for another week.
> > Is there any way I can bring down the hardness with stuff I may have
> around
> > the house?
> >
> > Any advice much appreciated.
> > Cheers
> > Lilly
>
>
> If you are using the Aquarium Pharmaceutics test kit, then each drop is
> 1dgH, and yes, 30dgH is high for Guppies (I try to keep my Africans below
> 30dgH). If your tap water is only 9dgH then water changes will bring
> everything down. I don't see any need for a softener, just water changes
> and an investigation as to what is leeching in your tank, or have you
> just been replacing evaporation for a long time?
>
> Your pH of 7.5 seems low to have had over 30dgH of hardness naturally.
> Did you test your tap pH or your tank pH? Fresh well water pH will often
> change after being aired out. I'd worry about your ammonia a bit. That
> should always be zero, so something is not 100%.
>
> mildly confused *sorry*
> --
> www.NetMax.tk
>
>

[NetMax]

Yup, evaporation will do that, so just regular water changes will bring
everything to normal again. Every tank has some anaerobic bacteria, but
it's something we try to minimise, as the side effect is noxious gasses,
and an acidification of the water. You can safely gravel vac it really
clean over the span of 2 or 3 weeks (just not all at once ;~).

The extra mulm in your gravel might account for the ammonia measurement.
All that decaying stuff is making your tank biologically appear as having
more fish in there than you actually have, and your filter is max'ed out.
Try not to mess too much with the filter until the water is normal again.
Just clean it enough so water pours through easily.

Glad you enjoyed the site :o)
--
www.NetMax.tk

"Lily" > wrote in message
...
> You're confused??? I wish I had never got the test kit now ;).
>
> I think a lot of the problem is evaporation - it has been a hot summer
and
> water levels noticeably drop between water changes (weekly).
> After the 50% water change, hardness now 23 gdh, nitrite still 0ppm, ph
7.2
> and ammonia is ever so slightly over 0ppm.
> I am feeling a bit more relaxed now.....
>
> I am on town (treated) water and dont have a water tank unfortunately.
> I am a bit worried that the gravel may have been getting a bit of an
> anaerobic bacteria load, its a bit niffy when I vaccum it. Should it
have
> anaerobic activity?
> I will do a 25% water change tommorrow, and keep monitoring. Havent
even
> got around to testing the GF tank...
> thanks NetMax, I was stressing! ps, love your site...
>
> Cheers
> Lill
>
>
> "NetMax" > wrote in message
> m...
> > "Lily" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > I have 9 guppies in an 80 litre tank (about 20gallon I think??)
just a
> > > corner filter, light, heater, plants and gravel. I bit the bullet
and
> > > coughed up $60 for a test kit for all the usuals. Acidity is 7.5,
> > Nitrites
> > > 0ppm, Ammonia .25. What is really stressing me is that my waters
> > hardness
> > > is off the scale (the test kit reckons if you add 11-22 drops of
> > reagent to
> > > the sample, this goodfor rift cichlids I gave up counting at 30! )
> > > My tap water is about 9 drops, but obviously the minerals have
built
> > up.
> > > I have just done a 50% water change (I know adding MORE minerals)
but
> > my
> > > problem is that I wont be able to buy water softeners for another
week.
> > > Is there any way I can bring down the hardness with stuff I may
have
> > around
> > > the house?
> > >
> > > Any advice much appreciated.
> > > Cheers
> > > Lilly
> >
> >
> > If you are using the Aquarium Pharmaceutics test kit, then each drop
is
> > 1dgH, and yes, 30dgH is high for Guppies (I try to keep my Africans
below
> > 30dgH). If your tap water is only 9dgH then water changes will bring
> > everything down. I don't see any need for a softener, just water
changes
> > and an investigation as to what is leeching in your tank, or have you
> > just been replacing evaporation for a long time?
> >
> > Your pH of 7.5 seems low to have had over 30dgH of hardness
naturally.
> > Did you test your tap pH or your tank pH? Fresh well water pH will
often
> > change after being aired out. I'd worry about your ammonia a bit.
That
> > should always be zero, so something is not 100%.
> >
> > mildly confused *sorry*
> > --
> > www.NetMax.tk
> >
> >
>
>