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A few aquarium filter questions?
So after my previous question was answered, I decided to look at purchasing an Ehiem classic 2213 for my 190 litre (40gal) Juwel tank (not a corner tank, has built in lighting in the lid). However in my area the water is classed as "very hard" (the entire city is built on chalk basically and used to have chalk mines).
To give an idea of how hard the water is: Calcium Carbonate = 383 mg/l ---- Calcium 153.2 mg/l.
(The water is only treated with Chlorine which I guess is a bonus)
After a bit of research I found out that peat can be used as a water softner, and I browsed Amazon to find something called Sera super peat (500g).
My first question, if it is suitable for the tank and filter, where in the canister filter would you put it (i.e. top, middle or bottom and what goes above it or beneath it)?
Secondly, how would I prepare/soften the water before adding more to the tank during a water change or do I just put it in and let the filter sort it out?
Thirdly, how much would I need to add to the filter for it to soften the water adequately (all the fish species I have chosen live in soft water)?
And finally will it affect the colour of the water?
I will edit this to add more questions if necessary, but that's all I can think of now.
Unfortunately I don't have the testing strips yet to find out the pH (pretty broke at the moment), but according to a report on the water in my region, it varies between 6.5-9.5
I can't find a specific pH recording for my city's water. Isn't there something that can lower the pH though if it is high? And once the water's been softened, could I just take out the peat and put something else in the filter or does the peat have to stay in it?
Oh, and also, the fish I have chosen can live between 6.5 and 8. I had intended to keep the pH at 7 if possible.
2 Answers
- Anonymous8 years agoFavorite Answer
Just to add to Noseless' excellent answer.
Wow, that certainly is hard water! Hard water is not quite the same as pH although it does effect the way you can change the pH. As noseless says, really it is not advisable to try to adjust pH, instead let the fish adapt. As well as being an ongoing expense, the fish don't seem to like it.
To soften the water using peat - either keep it in the substrate (in a layer below the gravel) or in the final part of the filter before the water returns to the tank. Keep the peat in, as every time you perform a water change, you will be adding more hard water.
The water hardness does mean that there will be fluctuations with the pH naturally - I would suggest you use peat and then don't worry too much about the hardness and pH after that. "Wrong" levels may effect breeding and plant growth, but for general fish keeping I think you will be fine.
- noselessmanLv 78 years ago
What is the Ph of the tap water? My water is also hard and the Ph is stuck at 7.6. Changing the ph when you have hard water is very very difficult. You could buy a water softener for your house. You can purchase reverse osmosis water and supplemental vitamins. But the easier thing to do , is to get fish that thrive in the Ph you already have. Many fish can be carefully acclimated and do fine in a ph outside of their ideal range. And more sensitive fish and fish that need a much different Ph should be avoided.
So what is the ph of the tap water?
Source(s): edit - I have never been able to successfully lower my Ph, though I stopped trying a long time ago. You have hard water, so it will be ten times more difficult to change the ph then it would with someon with softwater. The petstores in my town call it rock water county. They keep the Ph in their tropical tanks at 7.0 with a water softener , which are very expensive. You can bring your water to the pet store and they will test it for free. But you will want to save up some money before starting a tank, and get liquid test kits, not strips, for Nitrate, nitrite, Amonia, and Ph, especially if you are gonna try to alter the ph. remember that a shifting Ph is deadly to fish, you want to stabilize it before adding fish. or leave it as is and get fish that thrive as is.
