Hard water? Low ph?

[efirerobin]

Just looking for some insight… my fish are thriving but I ran some tests and noticed I have very hard water around 200-300ppm (GH) but also fairly acidic water 6.8. In both my tetra and betta tank. I did some research on how to lower the GH but it seems like lowering the gh also lowers the pH but my pH is already very low. I was thinking of adding some tannins to the tanks to help. Does anyone else have any experience with having hard water but low pH and did you do anything to alter it

 

[seangee]

fish are thriving

Then don't mess with it

 

[efirerobin]

Then don't mess with it

Just concerned if there’s any consequences in this long term. Yeah they’re doing great right now but down the road will this affect their health and longevity

 

[Lcc86]

I found this myself, had much harder water than I had thought and have soft water fish. I started doing a mix of RO and tap water to lower the hardness. I did buy some minerals just in case I needed to increase the pH but it doesn't seem to have affected my pH much, if at all. I do about a 75/25 mix of RO and water, although if you do go down this route increase the amount of RO water you use slowly. I've taken a few months to increase RO water and tested the gH, kH and pH religiously after each change so that I could keep a record.

 

[seangee]

Just concerned if there’s any consequences in this long term. Yeah they’re doing great right now but down the road will this affect their health and longevity

Tannins won't really help. They may reduce KH but with a low pH you probably don't have a high KH so they may also reduce pH. The most reliable way is what @Lcc86 suggests.
Long term soft water fish in hard water live shorter lives and ultimately die of organ failure (same as old age). You may also find your fish colouring is brighter if you reduce the hardness. The most important thing is stability - if you have a regular water change routine (at least 50% per week, preferably more) that gives them the stability.

FWIW I use 100% RO for my soft water fish but my water is much harder than yours, also has a high KH and pH AND comes out of the tap with nitrates at 50ppm (the UK legal limit) - so for me using tap water means fish that don't live very long.

 

[efirerobin]

I found this myself, had much harder water than I had thought and have soft water fish. I started doing a mix of RO and tap water to lower the hardness. I did buy some minerals just in case I needed to increase the pH but it doesn't seem to have affected my pH much, if at all. I do about a 75/25 mix of RO and water, although if you do go down this route increase the amount of RO water you use slowly. I've taken a few months to increase RO water and tested the gH, kH and pH religiously after each change so that I could keep a record.

Did you get a RO filter for your home or are you getting the RO water another way

 

[FishyD]

Just concerned if there’s any consequences in this long term. Yeah they’re doing great right now but down the road will this affect their health and longevity

I like LCC idea because it's repeatable. Don't get tempted to play the chemical additives dance. You'll likely chase your tail and have water constantly adjusting itself. My GH is over 300 out of the well, but reasonably and an 8.5. PH. Water chemistry is more complicated than most would ever care to understand.

 

[Magnum Man]

we are from an area of "rock hard" water... so the bulk of my tanks I use a dedicated RO unit... but I'm kind of curious on what happens as naturally hard water is softened with organic materials... I know the calcium acts like a buffer... & we live in an area where the hardness in our water is calcium... but I think in our state ( in the "iron range" ) for example, that the hardness is likely from iron... so that water wouldn't have that same buffering effect... also if you were only doing 10% water changes weekly and had a lot of organics in your tank, I'd think you could overcome the buffering effect, & see a Ph swing downward... I do add well water to a hard water fish tank, & to my Cherry shrimp tank, but the fish tank is lined across the whole back of the tank, with hanging pots of Pothos vines... each pot is filled with Ceramic bio media, with peat beads mixed in ( in effect, to soften the water around the plant )... my shrimp tank, is only a 10 gallon, but gets a couple Almond leaves as fast as they are decomposed or consumed...

so really, I'm curious is the fish need the minerals or the Ph???

 

[seangee]

I bought my own RO unit - use it for drinking and the other pets too now that I know how bad the tap water is.

 

[FishyD]

we are from an area of "rock hard" water... so the bulk of my tanks I use a dedicated RO unit... but I'm kind of curious on what happens as naturally hard water is softened with organic materials... I know the calcium acts like a buffer... & we live in an area where the hardness in our water is calcium... but I think in our state ( in the "iron range" ) for example, that the hardness is likely from iron... so that water wouldn't have that same buffering effect... also if you were only doing 10% water changes weekly and had a lot of organics in your tank, I'd think you could overcome the buffering effect, & see a Ph swing downward... I do add well water to a hard water fish tank, & to my Cherry shrimp tank, but the fish tank is lined across the whole back of the tank, with hanging pots of Pothos vines... each pot is filled with Ceramic bio media, with peat beads mixed in ( in effect, to soften the water around the plant )... my shrimp tank, is only a 10 gallon, but gets a couple Almond leaves as fast as they are decomposed or consumed...

so really, I'm curious is the fish need the minerals or the Ph???

I am from Iowa and I am dealing with calcium for sure. Minnesota is fairly geologically diverse, but from my visits I bet you are dealing with iron. Your water may be more controllable. Even through the RO filter has some minerals escape filtration. Probably wouldn't with a much more expensive RO unit, but I probably wouldn't like to pay for the membrane changes.

 

[Magnum Man]

I actually have 2 RO units... one is in the kitchen, for drinking water & the ice maker... the drinking water unit, does hot & cold water... & a separate RO for my Aquariums... since the bulk of the fish I like are soft water fish, I'm hoping it can keep up with all my tanks... I know if I tried to run the kitchen & tanks off the RO unit I have, it would never keep up... I have a 35 gallon translucent plastic drum, on the one for the aquariums, so I can monitor the water level, & use a pump, to pump from the drum, to the tanks...

... & I'm in southern MN, in the limestone areas... so mine is likely similar to most of Iowa

 

[FishyD]

I actually have 2 RO units... one is in the kitchen, for drinking water & the ice maker... the drinking water unit, does hot & cold water... & a separate RO for my Aquariums... since the bulk of the fish I like are soft water fish, I'm hoping it can keep up with all my tanks... I know if I tried to run the kitchen & tanks off the RO unit I have, it would never keep up... I have a 35 gallon translucent plastic drum, on the one for the aquariums, so I can monitor the water level, & use a pump, to pump from the drum, to the tanks...

... & I'm in southern MN, in the limestone areas... so mine is likely similar to most of Iowa

Well hello fellow Driftless Region inhabitor. Actually I live just south of it very near the Mississippi. And yes limestone is likely part of your equation. I better be careful before I hijack a thread.

 

[Magnum Man]

I live pretty close to where I-35 & I-90 cross... I'm a ways from Mississippi bluff area...

membrane changes are cheaper than shipping of fish over night...