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New Member
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Are most plants flexible regarding water parameters? I've wanted to start a small planted aquarium so I want to start it the right way the first time.
All the water where I live is EXTREMELY hard water(even RO water, which if I remember correctly is low in pH and high in hardness here), which is perfect for cichlids, puffers, ect. but it doesn't seem like a beneficial quality for plants.
Will plants grow and thrive under these conditions given the right nutrients and lighting? I don't want them to just survive and be dull. The plants am I think about are things like crypts, dwarf baby tears, ludwigia, and rotala.
In addition to this, are fish too finicky about GH and KH? I would like some otocinclus and some shrimp to keep the tank free of algae. In the past whenever I've had problems with fish it has always been pH issues; it has never been GH or KH.
Thanks for putting up with this long topic.
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 5/5/2012 7:08:45 AM
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It would be nice if you could give us your GH, KH, and pH values. My water has a pH of 8.0 and its hardness is 150ppm. All of my plants seem to grow find except vals. I currently have Water Sprite, Horwort, Ludwigia, Sagittaria, Cryptocoryne Wendtii, Brazinian Moneywort, Cobomba, Java Fern, Java Moss, 3 types of Anubias, and an Amazon Sword Plant. I have also kept Otocinclus and Cherry Shrimp before, and they should do fine as long as the pH isn't too extreme. Hope this helps.
- 55 gallon: 7 Diamond Tetra, 5 Sterba's Cories, 3 Pearl Gourami, and 1 Bristlenose Pleco.
- Planning to add: 12 Cherry Barbs
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- 20 gallon: 7 Multi Shell Dwelling Cichlids
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- 10 gallon: 3 Celestial Pearls Danios (Soon To Be 12), 5 Pygmy Cories, and ? Cherry Shrimp.
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- 3 gallon: 1 Emerald Dwarf Rasboras, 3 Assassin Snails.
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- 3 gallon: 1 Male Betta.
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- 2.5 gallon: 3 Yellow Cherry Shrimp.
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New Member
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GH: 280
KH: 270
pH: 7.6
This is dechlorinated water that has not been in an aquarium so it is uninfluenced by anything in a typical planted aquarium with driftwood, rocks, ect...
While this is great for easy success with my puffers and such, I'd like to find a way to make the water softer and more acceptable for optimum plant growth. (And possible a little more acidic as well.)
Thanks.
EDIT: I just tested our drinking water and it is very soft and has a very low KH. I am stuck with two extremes. In addition to this, the fact that it is very soft in an area with very hard water indicates that it is RO water which I read is not recommended for plants.
Any way you slice this it seems that I have water unsuitable for plants. Any suggestions?
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Fish Moderator
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If your drinking water is soft, what is the source of the other water?
If they are from different sources, and you have easy access to both, I'd say just mix them about 50/50 and see what you get.
55 gallon
Little Bean - lionhead
Baby - lionhead/ryukin cross
Westie - lionhead/ryukin cross
Speedy Rodriguez - oranda
planted 29 gallon
6 red eye tetras
6 cherry barbs
2 cardinal tetras
4 neon tetras
8 albino cories
3 male guppies
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New Member
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Mixed approx. 50/50 I get roughly:
GH: 100ppm
KH: 220ppm
pH: 7.4
The KH was hard to tell because a dark green means 180 and the next color was a dark blue indicating 300ppm. What I got was a medium blue with no green in it.
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New Member
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| On another note, could it be a beneficial thing for the GH (not sure about the KH) to be high since GH is Mg and Ca ions? And if my source is correct, plants need magnesium to use iron and grow.
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Fish Moderator
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That's one of those things that is species dependent, like with fish. You do want a certain threshhold amount, but the optimal amount will vary from plant to plant. Most of them have a fairly wide range of tolerance.
55 gallon
Little Bean - lionhead
Baby - lionhead/ryukin cross
Westie - lionhead/ryukin cross
Speedy Rodriguez - oranda
planted 29 gallon
6 red eye tetras
6 cherry barbs
2 cardinal tetras
4 neon tetras
8 albino cories
3 male guppies
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New Member
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Last Login: 5/12/2012 7:23:51 AM
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I'm a big advocate of retesting the water after aerating it for 24 hours this will transfer any gasses in the water and give you a slightly more accurate reading. My planted tanks match your water parameters almost exactly and the only plant I can't seem to grow is java moss (go figure). You mentioned you are running co2 injection which will effect your kh and ph anyway. at that point you are at the advantage in water parameters because I don't inject co2. The only buffering I've ever used is 1\2 inch layer of peat moss buried under the substrate.
I will not buy fish this time, I will not buy fish this time, I willnt buy fish this time, I willt buy fish this time, I WILL BUY FISH THIS TIME. Sometimes my addiction gets the best of me... did I say sometimes
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New Member
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| Would it be better to use RO water and dose the tank regularly with SeaChem flourish, which includes magnesium, calcium, and iron? That might allow the plants to have access to vital elements without the water being ridiculously hard.
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Senior Member
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I would not use straight RO water for FW tanks as you have stripped everything out of the water. Some things can be replaced with additives, but i personelly am leary they they do replace all that is necessary. I would suggest using your 50/50 mix as this will st5ill leave some of the benefical items in the water while lowering your PH,KH,GH.
I use straight tap water in my planted tanks and where i live the water is extremely hard and about 7.8 PH. I have not had a problem with any of my plants which consist of chain sword, dwarf chain sword, Hygrophila auguasta, hygrophila dimorfis, Java moss, java fern, Hornwort, pennywort, Anubis, crypts.
Calgary Aquarium Society
Aquarium Medics
My Community Tank
Growout for Swordtails
10 Gallon Experiment
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