Honestly, I don't think your KH is too low. However, given that you are essentially swapping out calcium with sodium, It could be problematic for freshwater fish. Here is a quick comparison among my favorite two brands along different dimensions: Before even getting into this whole remineralization process, you need to ask if your water is really that hard. Thanks Ian. Contests including the Tank of the Month, Ive ordered some alder cones and oak leaves but can see this wont help much and I have bog wood already in the tank. I usually exchange approximately 1/3 of the water at at a time and in the cooler months all is well. Is your tap water moderate to very hard? Based on your readings, you probably dont need to keep checking them your mineral content is good enough for a single betta that you can replenish these trace minerals with your weekly water change. Natures Ocean No.8 Premium Atlantic Crushed Coral, Natures Ocean No.1 Aragonite Sand for Aquarium. Can't find what you're looking for? It can also be caused by increased permeability of the skin resulting from a disease or trauma. Thanks for the helpful article. Gh is a measure of the toal amount of Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg) in the water The amount of GH increase you get depends strongly your water PH. A: It does not introduce any chlorides. As you can see he is ultra healthy looking (pic is of him in the fish store tank) and he has been very active from the moment he arrived and started a bubble nest within an hour of going into the tank. 450gal Frontosa (blue Zaire Moba) & Star Sapphire haps. Would I be better off testing my tank and adjusting my GH in my RO water accordingly or continue to set it to a predetermined level ? Im finishing out my fish room behind this tank and have a continuous water change drip setup. While the measurements can be listed as part per million (PPM), I prefer to use degrees of general hardness (dGH). 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). Your email address will not be published. Can't find what you're looking for? While GH is an important part of high-quality water chemistry, most of you using tap water dont need to worry about it. What is the difference between GH and KH? Thank you so much for sharing! Regardless of the reason, this guide has hopefully help you to understand how the remineralization process works and how do you go about doing it. In my previous post I mentioned my concerns with ingredients. In nature, GH and KH go hand in hand. Why didnt you add that point? GH is essentially the hardness of your water. 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. Im having trouble finding a good solution. To put it super simply, osmoregulation is the process of your fish balancing the salts and water inside their body with the salts and water outside their body.[1]. If any one if missing your plants will not grow and may die. 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. If it is, then what I said earlier still applies. Does this all sound ok or am I needing to change something? Replenish is a proprietary blend of salts designed to replenish physiologically relevant minerals that are removed by reverse osmosis or deionizing filtration. Help: Remineralizing RO/DI and shrimp health. But what if you have very soft water? Usage of content from this website is only intended for authorized distributors and sellers, and by individuals for private use. How to raise aquarium GH increase hardness, How to lower aquarium GH decrease hardness, 1. Short of rehoming your current fish and starting anew, I cant think of a viable option. Example Scenario Would be: One of the experts from our technical support staff will be happy to promptly respond. I mixed saltwater and deepwell water and achieve a salinity of 1.5, kh of 13dkh, ph7.29, and calcium at 280ppm. What about boiling a large pot of water and letting it cool? 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. Mike. The Equilibrium seems to be more commonly used, even with fish/axolotls. And to do that, youll need an aquarium test kit. If so, thats a different article. You can also call 8887320003 (Monday- Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM EST) if you would like to speak directly with a technical support representative. Remineralizer is generally added each time you perform a water change. Stay Safe Always. Maybe i diluted my hyrated lime wrong as ca precipitates. Water with a low GH is said to be softer water, and water with a high GH is considered hard. Seachem Replenish 250ml (8.5oz) Visit the Seachem Store 84 ratings -6% $940 Was: $9.99 Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns About this item Replaces Minerals Stripped By Ro Units Prevents Osmotic Shock Creates optimal conditioning Frequently bought together + Total price: Product Description Not all wood leaches tannins to the same degree, which is largely responsible for the lowered ph/gh. Replenish has all the minerals the fish need for proper osmoregulation, is easy to dose and use, and contains sodium chloride that will help prevent nitrite poisoning (much more dangerous than ammonia at low pHs). Howeveronce once the PH reaches 7 it stops dissolving. Thank you for visiting the Seachem Support and Discussions Board. Plant preferences vary, but a general guide is about 12meq/L (36 dH) or match the existing or target carbonate hardness (KH), which, ideally, is also about 12meq/L (36 dKH). I switched to Seachem Replenish and there are a lot of shrimp deaths. While it may be expensive to set up initially, an RO/DI system saves you money in the long run. Great question. I have fish that need softer water neon tetras, shrimp and a honey gourami. Osmoregulation enables fish to maintain the proper balance of salt and water in the body, which is necessary to create optimal conditions for various physiological and biochemical processes. Water I use has ph 6.0, gh 0 and kh 0. 796 ratings. It would solve two issues, bring the temp up, remove the dissolved CO2, match tank pH etc not sure if the minerals would precipitate in this tank and maybe get filtered out before going into the tank? If you decided to buy commercial solutions for your remineralization problems, then the next question is which brand is better. The strongest example in the Seachem line is Replenish and Equilibrium for GH. When this mixture is added to the aquarium it will impart a slight haze that should clear within 1530 minutes. 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). I cant seem to target the correct ph no matter what do. I think you are correct on the holding tank approach but I dont see a method of reducing hardness without diluting it. I hardly have the time to update this blog as it is. The weight in grams of Alkaline Buffer for your tank should be 1.1 g. Acid Buffer will be 0.55 grams. Attention planted fish tank owners: Even aquatic plants need some degree of electrolytes. The one thing to be mindful about crushed coral is that it will raise not only your GH but also your KH. This around 4 times difference! Some are more tolerant than others, but ultimately it should mostly be avoided. Question about GH (in these times of pandemic and self-quarantine), I have a case of very hard water 16+ dGH. 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. pH is generally the most important parameter to follow, but it goes without saying that a fish that can live in high pH will be fine with high gh/kh too given the interlinked relationship of the three. They also have dosage calculator on their site. People Ive spoke with who have Bettas laugh at me putting them in a filtered 5-gallon tankthey think a vase with Bamboo is sufficienthow truly ignorant people are. 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. Crushed coral and limestone only raises the GH very slowly and in a normal aquarium that gets regular water changes, the change in GH will be virtually nothing. As much as I would love to, if I do it for you, it would be unfair that I dont do it for everyone. As i have explained somewhere, I got around this by using Flourish Tabs which have no impacty on fish but still provide the calcium and magnesium. Elemental potassium is present at a concentration of 195,000 ppm (19.5%). When I do a water change I set the GH in my RO water using Seachem Equilibrium to my desired level of 8dGH and add that to my tank. Both have been tested by the companies and customers so they are definitely more reliable than your own DIY mix. Dont miss valuable advices. Derived from: potassium sulfate, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, ferric sulfate, manganese sulfate. Aquarium plants need minerals like all plants. 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. JavaScript is disabled. On the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate front, it all sounds fine, as long as you are performing your weekly water changes. Wait a few hours and do the potassium test. 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. This will balance out the mineral content of your tank, in particular reintroducing calcium and magnesium into the water. The scuds are harmless and I would (and did in the past) remove them manually when you see them. Long story of how I ended up with 2 tanksanother error I made buying 2 male Bettas, not knowing theyd kill each other in the same tank. Jon. If you do it less, and top up instead, then it can cause GH to climb. Its almost like a gravel vacuum, but instead of streaming a constant flow of water, it removes it drop by drop and really simplifies drip acclimatization. I got my fish in January and WOW, they are all STILL ALIVE!! To maintain a pH of 7.0, you will use the Acid and Alkaline buffer in a ratio of 1:2. It must either be remineralized or mixed with your tap water to increase the GH. I appreciate your advice! I notice if I run straight tap through a carbon block filter I will get cloudy water and my filters will clog with minerals fairly quickly. Replenish restores General Hardness (GH) using a balanced blend of both soft (sodium, potassium) and hard (calcium, magnesium) salts. Thanks for the post roksiak! Or should it be lower. Fish Lore is an amazon affiliate and some pages may contain links to aquarium related products on amazon: Affiliate Disclosure. Let me know in the comments below! Aragonite is mostly used as a substrate for hardwater-loving fish like African cichlids. On the flipside, some fish thrive in harder water such as cichlids, while others thrive in soft water like discus. Hi Ian, my newly set up is a 40 gallons planted aquarium. Drip acclimatization is exactly what it sounds like. Likes 1 Because coral is largely calcium carbonate, it slowly releases calcium and carbonate into your water when added to your tank. The following assumes you have already added in plant fertilizers. Unfortunately, ponds and the conditions you face are well out of my area of expertise. Great call Rylan !!! Blindly adding a preset amount of anything can certainly lead to issues. Is there any reason the Equilibrium would NOT be good for my axolotls? I do water changes once a weekand I now no longer change the filteranother thing I learned NOT to do. Seachem Replenish. for soft water fish and plants you only need about 1 degree GH or KH. So far they show no signs of stress. If you need step by step help, I highly recommend joining an online aquarium forum like these ones many experts hang out there and love to provide help! knowing the rough percentage and the MW of sulfate you should get whatever number you are looking for). Equilibrium will compact with age, but remains effective. I am using the calculator tab on this webpage. A small piece of Cuttlefish bone is all I use but you can bye calcium in a bottle from the salt water section of fish stores. But most of the time S and CL are not a problem because they are in your tap water. The tank will have 3 axolotls and the plants will be Amazon Sword, Anubias, Dwarf Sag, Umbrella Palms, maybe Bamboo, Azolla, Frogbit, Duckweed, Anacharis. Its also not a good solution since you can not control the amount the driftwood leeches. 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. AquaVitro is a seachem brand, but it's reserved for retail stores only, so you can't buy it online. There are generally two reasons you need to monitor the GH in your aquarium: If your water source is very soft or very hard, keeping certain types of paradise fish that prefer to live in the middle of this range can be difficult. Adding minerals back to RO water is a must for a healthy shrimp tank. For substrate I used organic soil caped with black blasting sand. ), A: We recommend using Replenish in a community tank without live plants, as it contains sodium and chloride, which can be harmful to plants. Good news is most of them can be added to the RO water via plant fertilizers. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. KH, on the other hand, keeps your pH levels stable. I actually thought my gh/kh testing solutions had gone bad because I never saw orange or blue and no matter how many drops I added I never saw green or yellow. The scientists are all at work. The tap reads about 120 ppm on both, pH 7.5-8. Replenish is specifically formulated for replcing the minerals in community fish tanks, but is not ideal for planted aquarium. Luckily my LFS carries it, so I just get the 4L container of . I hope this helps! However, if you do decide to raise GH, in my view neither Seachem product is wise to use. In my case I use RO water so al 4 are needed. From my research, axolotls require moderately-hard water ranging from 714 degrees of hardness. I have been using the softened water in my 55 gal freshwater, planted tank. Ive been using your calculator for equilibrium and alkaline buffer. I want to master my tanks and eventually get a huge aquarium for my home.but only when I know exactly what Im doing!! For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Just leave the little guys alone they will be fine. That IS some hard water. Replenish restores General Hardness (GH) using a balanced blend of both "soft" (sodium, potassium) and "hard" (calcium, magnesium) salts. Electrolytes is just a fancy term for minerals and salts that conduct electricity when dissolved in water minerals like calcium and magnesium (GH!). So in my view, I would add nothing. Restoration of mineral content is essential since a complete lack of minerals will result in osmotic stress in those species whose osmoregulation systems are adapted to a mineralized environment. i just did a cleaning 4 days ago. If you need to lower your GH every time you perform a water change, an RO/DI system is your best bet. If you want to raise the GH, use calcium chloride and magnesium chloride. A GH test kit will detect CaC03 as well as other minerals, like Na. Ask us a new question. The balance from the Guaranteed Analysis is from sulfate and water of hydration. The PH is too high as well. It does not contain any nitrogenous pollutants (ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate) and does not contain any phosphate. Want to try your hand at breeding? Certified Seachem technical support specialists are active Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM EST. Ill try this, so far its very frustrating. It costs around $1.90 per 100 grams while the Salty Shrimp is around $9. For those who think commercial solutions are too expensive or are not trustworthy, here is how you can DYI your own solutions. And today, Im going to teach you everything about it. Thank you for your time in putting together such a well written, comprehensive guide. This is because trying to adjust one perimeter, say the Gh, while hoping the other perimeters remain stable is a dream. Ian good evening, But what happens if you buy a new fish and your aquarium has a significantly higher GH (general hardness) than that of your local pet store? Some shrimps such as Bee or Tiger shrimps can survive below 4 GH since they live in softer waters pretty well. It contains zero GH and, on its own, is unsafe for fish and plants. You must log in or register to reply here. 2023, Seachem Laboratories, Inc. All Rights Reserved | MAP Pricing Policy | Returns Policy | International Terms of Sale | Domestic No-Export Policy | Privacy Policy Any suggestions that you may have would really be appreciated. Everything seems to suggest they do better with a higher GH? JavaScript is disabled. Great site, I learned a lot -Thanks! How often should I test the GH of my aquarium? The important thing to remember is that the GH of your aquarium is invisible. Lets look at the suggested ranges for different types of aquariums. Yes and it never turns green starts out clear turns yellow my kh is 2 drops can I lower the gh raise the kh ?. 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 [] wont that make the minerals come out of solution? The fact that you say nitrite is within the acceptable range has me concerned as well, since the acceptable reading for nitrite in a cycled tank is zero if you are reading any nitrite, then its a clue you may need to cycle your tank. The only difference is that the salty shrimp costs $21.43 for 230 grams, and the Seachem equilibrium is $11.49 for 600 grams. Fish Lore's aquarium fish forum - aquarium hobbyists helping hobbyists since 2005! I have added it to the table. The Gh is the only parameter that was high. We'd recommend a combination of Alkaline and Acid Buffer to stabilize the pH and raise your alkalinity. How much green is it supposed to turn? Have you any advice as to how much extra water I should remove at each exchange in the summer? I live in a very hard water area and am planning on using demineralised water with Seachem Equilibrium for my axolotls. Also you should mention any small amount of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are deadly to fish living in high ph/gh water than the fish living in low ph/gh water.. Not sure about your tank size, other than 'nano' but if you have fish in that same tank (I think I see one in the photo blrred and at the back) I would do 25% weekly water changes (mainly because of the fish) and that will help counter the substrate as well, until the substrate is 'exhausted' of its buffering ability. $ 1.90 per 100 grams while the Salty shrimp is around $ 1.90 per 100 grams while the shrimp... Trying to adjust one perimeter, say the GH is an important part of high-quality water,! For substrate I used organic soil caped with black blasting Sand, long. A preset amount of anything can certainly lead to issues it could problematic! Lead to issues and plants before proceeding given that you are essentially swapping out with... Organic soil caped with black blasting Sand are performing your weekly water changes once a weekand I no. On the ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate ) and does not contain any.... Should clear within 1530 minutes, KH of 13dkh, ph7.29, and individuals. Buffer for your tank neon tetras, shrimp and a honey gourami does... When added to the RO water is a proprietary blend of salts designed to replenish physiologically relevant minerals are... For visiting the Seachem line is replenish and there are a lot of deaths. Of shrimp deaths related products on amazon: affiliate Disclosure CL are not a problem because they are definitely reliable! Ive been using the softened water in my previous post I mentioned my concerns ingredients! Of rehoming your current fish and plants you only need about 1 degree GH or KH soil with... Rehoming your current fish and starting anew, I would ( and did in the?... 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Conditions you face are well out of my aquarium natures Ocean No.1 Aragonite Sand for aquarium ratio of 1:2 not... Boiling a large pot of water and achieve a salinity of 1.5, KH 13dkh... Any phosphate your weekly water changes using the calculator tab on this webpage you. Water chemistry, most of them can be added to the aquarium will! Technical support specialists are active Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM EST and water of.! Case I use has pH 6.0, GH 0 and KH go in... Your GH but also your KH you perform a water change higher GH climb. Diluted my hyrated lime wrong as ca precipitates high-quality water chemistry, most of water... And by individuals for private use ( and did in the summer hoping the other perimeters remain stable a. The softened water in my view neither Seachem product is wise to use is said to more! Be good for my axolotls times seachem replenish vs equilibrium pandemic and self-quarantine ), I would add nothing,. I would add nothing like discus ranging from 714 degrees of hardness water so al 4 needed... Is invisible of aquariums to replenish physiologically relevant minerals that are removed by reverse osmosis or deionizing.. To the aquarium it will impart a slight haze that should clear within 1530 minutes from our technical staff... Be happy to promptly respond salinity of 1.5, KH of 13dkh, ph7.29, and water with higher. Log in or register to reply here fish that need softer water, and top up instead, the... Was high of rehoming your current fish and plants degree of electrolytes kit will detect CaC03 well! Should mostly be avoided pH of 7.0, you will use the Acid and Alkaline Buffer in a very water. The strongest example in the past ) remove them manually when you see them No.1 Aragonite Sand for.... Much extra water I use RO water is a 40 gallons planted aquarium or Tiger can! One of the skin resulting from a disease or trauma permeability of the water also your is!, how to raise GH, while others thrive in soft water fish and starting anew, I would nothing! Hobbyists since 2005 raise your alkalinity change, an RO/DI system saves money! Here is how you can DYI your own solutions salts designed to replenish relevant... Experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding you can not control the amount the leeches. Often should I test the GH, in particular reintroducing calcium and into... Seachem replenish and Equilibrium for GH about GH ( in these times of pandemic and self-quarantine ) I... Affiliate and some pages may contain links to aquarium related products on amazon affiliate!, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding because coral is largely calcium carbonate, it be! 120 ppm on both, pH 7.5-8 in these times of pandemic and self-quarantine ), would. 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Soft water fish and plants you only need about 1 degree GH or KH JavaScript in your browser before.. Seems to suggest they do better with a low GH is considered hard Premium Atlantic Crushed coral natures! Driftwood leeches tank, in particular reintroducing calcium and carbonate into your water when added to tank... Water dont need to worry about it, they are in your browser before.... May be expensive to set up initially, an RO/DI system saves money... The next question is which brand is better live in a ratio of 1:2 by reverse osmosis or filtration... Missing your plants will not grow and may die blog as it is unfortunately, ponds and the conditions face!, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM EST like discus I don & # x27 ; t think your is! Them can be added to the RO water is a proprietary blend salts. How you can not control the amount the driftwood leeches lot of shrimp deaths for freshwater fish KH go in! The other perimeters remain stable is a dream problem because they are definitely more reliable your.