Finally decided... your opinions please

[Shiverz]

From this thread https://www.fishforums.net/threads/hey-there.461290/

Where did you get this information from? If it was your water company, what unit did they give? It is unlikely to be ppm but it could be mg/l calcium carbonate or mg/l calcium (and I've even seen mg/l calcium oxide).

If it was not your water company can I ask you to look on their website for hardness. You do need a number - and the unit - though some water companies no longer give a number, just words which can be misleading.

It was my water suppliers website. in water hardness it says "soft", then theres hardness clarke, which I thought was the value of the hardness, which is 1.61. Like I said I'm trying to confirm if it's the same as GH. To be honest I think I'm just over complicating things for myself, as I tend to do. here is some screenshots, you can no doubt make more sense of it then I can.

 

[Essjay]

The Regent #2 in the API nitrate test is a stronger acid.

I think it is Reagent Bottle #1 (not #2) that contains the stronger acid HCl?
[/QUOTE]
Yes it is nitrate bottle #1. I looked at the safety data sheets on API's website. Bottle #2 contains polyethylene glycol and sulfanilamide.

 

[Essjay]

The unit degrees Clarke is not used in fish keeping so we have to convert it.

1.61 deg Clarke = 1.23 dH and 23 ppm. That is very soft.

 

[Shiverz]

The unit degrees Clarke is not used in fish keeping so we have to convert it.

1.61 deg Clarke = 1.23 dH and 23 ppm. That is very soft.

Ahhh Thank you for doing that for me. I know it depends on species but in general fish keeping, is very soft good or bad?

 

[Essjay]

If you want to keep soft water fish it is good There are lots and lots of soft water fish to choose from. The species named so far in this thread all need soft water.

 

[Shiverz]

If you want to keep soft water fish it is good There are lots and lots of soft water fish to choose from. The species named so far in this thread all need soft water.

I thought it was dependant on the fish in question, but I just thought I'd ask, can never have too much information Thank you very much

 

[Essjay]

There may well be some soft water fish which need hardness above yours, but with most there won't be a problem. But it is always a good idea to check the hardness range of any species with Seriously Fish before buying. Some profiles on there use dH, some use ppm and now you have your hardness in both units.

GH is more important than pH. Provided the GH is within the range for a species the pH can be outside it. I have soft water, though not as soft as yours at 5 dH, and my pH is around 7.5 depending on the time of day. I can keep soft water fish better than middling or hard water fish that are supposed to need my pH.

 

[Shiverz]

There may well be some soft water fish which need hardness above yours, but with most there won't be a problem. But it is always a good idea to check the hardness range of any species with Seriously Fish before buying. Some profiles on there use dH, some use ppm and now you have your hardness in both units.

GH is more important than pH. Provided the GH is within the range for a species the pH can be outside it. I have soft water, though not as soft as yours at 5 dH, and my pH is around 7.5 depending on the time of day. I can keep soft water fish better than middling or hard water fish that are supposed to need my pH.

Ah awesome, thats good to know, now I know my exact figures, I'll make sure that I keep an eye out, you've done me a solid there! thank you very much! I just feel bad for all the questions I'm asking. I feel like Esmerelda from animaniacs

 

[Essjay]

It is better to ask questions than not to ask and have the (future) fish suffer

 

[Shiverz]

Just quickly... for a 17gal, do I get a 75w heater? I've been looking at different "charts" and this seems to be the medium of what I've found (some suggest a 25w, others 100w). Just don't want to put anything too monsteorus in there. was thinking of the Eheim Jager 75w?

 

[Byron]

Just quickly... for a 17gal, do I get a 75w heater? I've been looking at different "charts" and this seems to be the medium of what I've found (some suggest a 25w, others 100w). Just don't want to put anything too monsteorus in there. was thinking of the Eheim Jager 75w?

Higher wattage heaters do not seem to break down as much. I have a 100w in my 10g, so for a 17g I wold say 150 watt heater. Place it next to the filter return so the heated water will be better distributed. The last heater I bought several years ago now was a Jager. It took some fiddling to get the temp setting (the calibration on many heaters is not exact), but it is a good brand.

 

[Shiverz]

Higher wattage heaters do not seem to break down as much. I have a 100w in my 10g, so for a 17g I wold say 150 watt heater. Place it next to the filter return so the heated water will be better distributed. The last heater I bought several years ago now was a Jager. It took some fiddling to get the temp setting (the calibration on many heaters is not exact), but it is a good brand.

Excellent, I'll grab a 150w and play with that to get temps right. I just noticed my thermometer isn't working either, so I'll replace that, get both a digital and a standard one. Thank you very much

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Excellent, I'll grab a 150w and play with that to get temps right. I just noticed my thermometer isn't working either, so I'll replace that, get both a digital and a standard one. Thank you very much

Definitely get both, just to make sure the digital one is accurate.

 

[Shiverz]

Definitely get both, just to make sure the digital one is accurate.

Roger that, I was thinking of a fluval wireless? they seem to have a lot of good feedback, the price seems pretty reasonable too.

 

[Swampman]

Just to be safe I would boil the river rock. Pollution and small critters my be living In the rock. Better to be safe than buy fish and have them die. Cardinal tetras are a bit more forgiving than neons. With their long fins Bettas have a problem with other fish nipping at them. I've kept them in a community tank. They don't last very long. Even with calm community fish. Cycle the tank. Buy some bacteria from the fish store. Make cycling easier and faster. Don't forget to put some fish food in the tank for the bacteria to feed on. Please don't fish cycle. Test your water everyday. Attach the Anubia to a piece of wood. Crazy glue is good for that.