All Fish Forums

by **sharkdude** » 2006-05-28 11:40

Is there an easy and cheap way of mimicing or creating hard water as my water is curently 0dh

by **KittyKat** » 2006-05-28 12:26

use tap water? my tap comes out at pH 8.5 and hard as rocks... Theoretically only rain water can have a dH of 0.

you could use calcium based rocks... not the greatest idea, but works. also lots and lots of shells (a better idea)

by **Surface** » 2006-05-28 12:28

What are the ph readings in the water your testing? Because your aquarium water usually has a natural supply of dissolved minerals which make up a buffer system to keep your pH stable. And all of these dissolved minerals together make up the total hardness of your aquarium.

How long after you get the water out of the tap are you testing? Because you will get different readings depending on the amount of time the water has sat.

Also, what ph are you aiming for?

by **The fish shed** » 2006-05-28 12:35

Don't use chemicals to buffer it get crushed coral and add that to the tank over a couple of weeks till you get the hardness you want.

by **sharkdude** » 2006-05-28 19:59

the ph is normaly about 7.0-7.5 despite coming out of the tap at 8 ?
as fish shed should know welsh water is very soft and it varies from 0 - 1
kat do you mean shells of the beach?

by **The fish shed** » 2006-05-28 22:11

sharkdude wrote: the pH is normally about 7.0-7.5 despite coming out of the tap at 8 ?
as fish shed should know welsh water is very soft and it varies from 0 - 1

Yep that is exactly right. Mine comes out the tap some times at 9 and lowers to the same as yours. Softness where I am ranges from 0 - 3 and never been higher than that. Great place to have discus, blue rams etc. I have friends VERY green with envy because of our soft water. :woot:

by **sharkdude** » 2006-05-29 08:41

my problem is that the lives don't like it and are only spawing every 2months as per normal 1

by **Cod Father** » 2006-05-29 10:05

I've the same prob, it reads 7ph but theres zero hardness in the water from the tap. I add crushed coral (in an old tight) and filter over it.

by **KittyKat** » 2006-05-29 11:19

i'm green with envy!

yes, shells from the beach, just make sure you wash them well first works for me every time. or you can use Davy's trick... but be sure to wash out the coral sand well.

by **The fish shed** » 2006-05-29 12:46

Just a little warning. If you use coral sand it can get into the gills of your freshwater fish and irritate the gill lining. Crushed coral is heavier and so does not float through the water to cause this problem.

by **Indigo Blue Fish** » 2006-05-29 12:57

If you boil the shells too, that helps kill any bacterial contaminant.

Can't say I have a dh problem here - ours is like drinking stones some days lol!

by **sharkdude** » 2006-05-30 13:53

i wish i had it that hard

i need to fill shells with gravel right?so no one gets stuck

by **KittyKat** » 2006-05-30 15:37

I don't bother as most fish are perfectly able to reverse

but you could do that.

by **valemont** » 2018-05-21 20:00

All Fish Forums

soft to hard

Re: soft to hard

Who is online