Just tested my water (for the first time)

[Connershawzz]

So everything has been fine I just do my water changes 2-3 times a week , add my normal things. The past 2 days I’ve lost my bala and clown loach. Finally was the test trips I wanted and everything seems to be in order just want to make sure and clarify (mainly with hardness and the weird GH and DGH stuff) my strip reads 180 GH // 120 KH. My take was turning into a bichir only tank just happened a lot faster then I’d hoped. So I’ve heard for optimal growth

GH should be 5-20
KH should be 4-12

Do my numbers work out to the weird dgh and dkh?

Thank you!

 

[Connershawzz]

And if hardness levels don’t match with my fish and that’s why , it would make sense. I’m just still sorta new to all this testing and levels and all that and wana make sure I understand the levels

 

[Colin_T]

It's unusual for 2 fish to just up and die.
Do you have any pictures of them (either alive or dead)?
What symptoms did the loach and bala shark have before dying?
Did you do anything to the tank in the 2 days before they died?
Did you add anything to the tank in the 2 weeks before they died?

How long has the tank been set up for?
What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH in numbers?
What sort of filter is on the tank?
How often and how do you clean the filter?

You mention doing water changes 2-3 times a week and adding the normal things.
What things do you add?
How much water do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do the water changes?
Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the aquarium?

--------------------

Hardness test results can be measured in different scales.
The most common way of measuring hardness in water is ppm (parts per million), which is the same as mg/L (milligrams per litre).
dGH is the German scaling for hardness and is degree General Hardness.
dKH is the same German scaling for degrees Carbonate Hardness. They spell carbonate with a K not a c (Karbonate Hardness).

You can convert dGH to ppm on the "FishForums.net Calculator" at the bottom of the page or on the right side of the page. It's roughly 17.9ppm for 1dGH.

Calculator

Your test strips are probably reading in ppm. While the numbers you posted below that (GH should be 5-20, KH should be 4-12) are probably German scale dGH and dKH.

 

[Essjay]

my strip reads 180 GH

Just to check - how high does the strip go for GH? Some strips only read up to 180 ppm so when they read that level it could be 180 ppm or anything above that.

 

[Connershawzz]

It's unusual for 2 fish to just up and die.
Do you have any pictures of them (either alive or dead)?
What symptoms did the loach and bala shark have before dying?
Did you do anything to the tank in the 2 days before they died?
Did you add anything to the tank in the 2 weeks before they died?

How long has the tank been set up for?
What is the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH in numbers?
What sort of filter is on the tank?
How often and how do you clean the filter?

You mention doing water changes 2-3 times a week and adding the normal things.
What things do you add?
How much water do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do the water changes?
Do you dechlorinate the new water before adding it to the aquarium?

--------------------

Hardness test results can be measured in different scales.
The most common way of measuring hardness in water is ppm (parts per million), which is the same as mg/L (milligrams per litre).
dGH is the German scaling for hardness and is degree General Hardness.
dKH is the same German scaling for degrees Carbonate Hardness. They spell carbonate with a K not a c (Karbonate Hardness).

You can convert dGH to ppm on the "FishForums.net Calculator" at the bottom of the page or on the right side of the page. It's roughly 17.9ppm for 1dGH.

Calculator

Your test strips are probably reading in ppm. While the numbers you posted below that (GH should be 5-20, KH should be 4-12) are probably German scale dGH and dKH.

My temp is 76-78 degrees
Ph is 7.5
ammonia is 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate <20
Then GH and KH as listed above. And yes my strips do only goto 180 , but if that means 10 dGH, it’s probably not higher then 20 right? And I just use quick start “ I know people don’t like this but I’ve used it since my first tank almost a year ago now ) and stress coat , I do dechlorinate before adding it , and I do about 40-60% water changes. I clean the substrate maybe every other time , I have to kinda mess with the substrate most night because of the uneaten blood worms.i know there are other additives but I haven’t had any issues till now so I’d love to learn more. Thank you all!