Bringing home my profession water tester... lets talk typical aquarium ppm...

[Magnum Man]

I have a professional tester here, I use it for my boiler... we aren't running the boiler anymore, so, just playing, while I'm at work... my RO drinking water system at work ( filters not changed in years, but not much volume through them ), reads 64 ppm...
my tap water here, at work reads 461 ppm...

I'll be checking my new big RO aquarium water filtered water, and a few of my aquariums, just to see where they are at...

so, what would typically be an acceptable range for soft water fish???
what would typically be an acceptable range for shrimp???
and what would typically be an acceptable range for most Live Bearers???

and for anyone reading along, what would be an acceptable range for other hard water fish, like rift lake Cichlids???

 

[MaloK]

I posted a somewhat detailed spreadsheet for your tanks and stock a few months ago... I can't find it anymore...

It's a little sad because your tanks descriptions and stocking at the time where really accurate.

 

[Magnum Man]

I did a search as well, with you as the author, & didn't find it???

 

[GaryE]

My personal approach is to aim for under 100ppm for rainforest fish. If I try to breed them, then I discover how low I should go, species by species. I've had Apistogramma do well at 80ppm, and other Apisto species need to be down at 30.

I caught livebearers in water as soft as 180ppm, up to 300ppm. But that's a small sample of species. I've bred a lot of healthy ones in 140 ppm tap.

Shrimp? Those I don't keep, and don't know.

 

[MaloK]

I did a search as well, with you as the author, & didn't find it???

Without the thread title I believe we are doomed... If I search for TDS, minerals, hardness, alkalinity. With you as author... My computer gives a "Out of memory" error... lolll.

 

[GaryE]

I tried too. We do discuss water a lot here.

 

[gwand]

I keep my a cacatuoides and Bolivian ram at 90 ppm. Livebearers, a thomasi, a caudalis and p pulcher at 175 ppm.

 

[MaloK]

My personal approach is to aim for under 100ppm for rainforest fish. If I try to breed them, then I discover how low I should go, species by species. I've had Apistogramma do well at 80ppm, and other Apisto species need to be down at 30.

I caught livebearers in water as soft as 180ppm, up to 300ppm. But that's a small sample of species. I've bred a lot of healthy ones in 140 ppm tap.

Shrimp? Those I don't keep, and don't know

Without going down the rabbit hole... The ratio between Calcium and Magnesium are more important than the total General Hardness achieved... So having soft water fish in harder water that has a better ratio will be more successful... The ratio for fresh water fish and invertebrates sits between 2:1 or 3:1 Calcium:Magnesium.

But if you have hard water in majority constituted of Calcium and very poor in Magnesium. Adding magnesium and end up with even harder water to reach balance is still the best way to go.

It's better to have your Cherry Shrimps at 500 ppm, if at least 200 of them is magnesium. The same applies to much softer water.

Since Shrimps can be considered as a good canary in the mine shaft. I tend to think that tanks failing with good Hardness... Have a solid basic mineral imbalance caused by the water source...

And that brings you to buy another test kit. And Stick an RO unit on the wall.

 

[Magnum Man]

220 as the reading in my South American tetra tank full of plants and drift wood... assume anything that adds color to the water, reads as a ppm

 

[gwand]

220 as the reading in my South American tetra tank full of plants and drift wood... assume anything that adds color to the water, reads as a ppm

220 ppm TDS or GH?

 

[MaloK]

A part of the the fun is when you have your current General Hardness Calcium to potassium Ratio.... Sorted out.

Only with these readings You are going to find out your well water ratio... Carbonates are like gas and is irrelevant with this matter. Once your general hardness fixed it will never change. Even if you leave it for years without any water changes, But topping with pure RO. even if your plants are filling the tank. It wont move a shingle.

Bringing this parameter up to par can host lots of fish plopped in the tank no problems.

Carbonate hardness is a complete other equation on top of it, But it's always moving and as long as it does not crud.

Once I tested, I established the recipe to be used to bring the ratio closer. Some are luckier than other. And the intervention is ridiculous. to bring the ratio online.

As far as standard testing and observation goes... Lack of potassium Looks to me like a serious impairment to succces.

And would be really happy If you post your detailed well water results.

 

[Magnum Man]

it's reading in ppm

 

[MaloK]

it's reading in ppm

PPm's are a reading of dissolved solids... It sadly includes volatile ones... But is a sweet tool to have.

For ex: my tank has 80 ppm GH that squares to about 45 ppm calcium and 35 Potassium... This is a fixed base param.

But a direct conductivity test's is well above 400, at this point knowing Hardness doesn't move... Carbonates are part of it in addition of fish poop... up to fertilizer and tannin's.

The rest is unknown dissolved compounds I dissolve on regular base.

 

[MaloK]

it's reading in ppm

just to make it clear... ppm of what is is tested ? PPM from conductivity ?

 

[Magnum Man]

I'm not sure... the tester was used, and gifted to me from the boiler chemical consultant... I'll picture it later