Water Parameters in new tank? UPDATE with API Master Kit

[PADogman]

Mt tank has been running about a day now. Dragon Stone and organic potting soil underneath CaribSea Eco Planted substrate. The plants are due in next week.

I'm getting a grasp on the cycle, something I don't recall doing 25 years ago, and started thinking about water hardness. Apparently the modern/correct way to put fish in your tank is to match them up to your water being either hard or soft. Something else we never did. And if the aquarium shop has them sorted that way in his store, I never knew.

So off to the hardware store I went. I found a swimming pool test kit that included tests for alkalinity, Ph and hardness.
This is what I got:

Tap water
Hardness "OK" 250ppm
Alkalinity "OK" 80ppm
Ph "Low" 6.2 (which the shop also got when he tested my tap water)

The water in my tank
Hardness "Low" 100ppm
Alkalinity "Low" 40ppm
Ph "OK" 7.2

So what does this tell you? What does it mean?
I know I must have minerals in my water as it will stain the toilet bowl if it is left sitting unused. But it doesn't have the other telltale signs of calcium deposits on faucets or soap scum indicating hard water.

So can I choose any FW fish?
And it's a good thing my Ph went up, right? I'm not sure if alkalinity is important to know or not.

Any input or comments appreciated.

 

[PADogman]

I'm guessing this was posted in the wrong forum?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I'm guessing this was posted in the wrong forum?

Seems to be in the right forum to me, given that you're asking about cycling your tank.
A lot has changed over the past quarter of a century. I've noticed a lot of postive changes and I'm re-joining the hobby after a break of only 13 years!

For starters, a test kit for swimming pools isn't what you need and, whilst water pH, hardness or softness is a factor, you need to be able to assess your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. There's way more to it than 'matching fish to water hardness'. Seek out some aquarium test kits. Test strips that test a variety of parameters are a good and relatively cheap option, but I prefer liquid test kits for when I'm assessing my ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.
There's an excellent article in here on cycling your tank, with specific info on the Nitrogen Cycle. You need to learn this and you'll then be more able to appreciate whether or not your water is okay.
To summarise, you need to cultivate a population of beneficial bacteria, which will then be able to break down the toxins produced by your fish waste.

(Fish produce toxic ammonia. Beneficial bacteria turns ammonia into toxic nitrites. A different beneficial bacteria turns toxic nitrites into relatively harmless nitrates).

Many of us like to add plants to our tanks and get these established, before we start adding fish. Plants facilitate cycling and are beneficial to many fish. Plants, like the fish, have different requirements for water, but their needs are not as specific as those of the fish.

"So can I choose any FW fish?"
When it comes to the fish, you might have some idea as to what sort you want, but each will have it's own requirements, with regards water and there's a bit of fun to be had in stocking your tank with fish that will thrive in the water you've created, OR changing the water to match the fish you want to thrive.
"And it's a good thing my Ph went up, right? I'm not sure if alkalinity is important to know or not."
For example, some fish will thrive in more acidic waters, with the pH below 7.0, whilst others need much more alkaline waters, where the pH is above 7.0.
As you've already gathered, some fish prefer soft water, whilst others prefer harder stuff. NOTE that pH and hardness are not the same, but I guess you know as much already.

Edit: Some spelling and grammatical errors amended.

 

[PADogman]

Seems to be in the right forum to me, given that you're asking about cycling your tank.
A lot has changed over the past quarter of a century. I've noticed a lot of postive changes and I'm re-joining the hobby after a break of only 13 years!

For starters, a test kit for swimming pools isn't what you need and, whilst water pH, hardness or softness is a factor, you need to be able to assess your ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. There's way more to it than 'matching fish to water hardness'. Seek out some aquarium test kits. Test strips that test a variety of parameters are a good and relatively cheap option, but I prefer liquid test kits for when I'm assessing my ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.
There's an excellent article in here on cycling your tank, with specific info on the Nitrogen Cycle. You need to learn this and you'll then be more able to appreciate whether or not your water is okay.
To summarise, you need to cultivate a population of beneficial bacteria, which will then be able to break down the toxins produced by your fish waste.

(Fish produce toxic ammonia. Beneficial bacteria turns ammonia into toxic nitrites. A different beneficial bacteria turns toxic nitrites into relatively harmless nitrates).

Many of us like to add plants to our tanks and get these established, before we start adding fish. Plants facilitate cycling and are beneficial to many fish. Plants, like the fish, have different requirements for water, but their needs are not as specific as those of the fish.

"So can I choose any FW fish?"
When it comes to the fish, you might have some idea as to what sort you want, but each will have it's own requirements, with regards water and there's a bit of fun to be had in stocking your tank with fish that will thrive in the water you've created, OR changing the water to match the fish you want to thrive.
"And it's a good thing my Ph went up, right? I'm not sure if alkalinity is important to know or not."
For example, some fish will thrive in more acidic waters, with the pH below 7.0, whilst others need much more alkaline waters, where the pH is above 7.0.
As you've already gathered, some fish prefer soft water, whilst others prefer harder stuff. NOTE that pH and hardness are not the same, but I guess you know as much already.

Edit: Some spelling and grammatical errors amended.

Thanks!
After some thought I was thinking maybe the thread was more livestock related, since things haven't really started happening yet as far as cycling. I was just trying to get an idea on how my hard water's low rating might affect my choosing of livestock.

I was looking for a hardness test and the pool kit was my best and fastest option.
I have the aquarium water test kit on the way, too.

In trying to get an idea on future fish I see that cardinal tetras require a much lower pH and soft water, so I've already ruled them out. But I hate to rule all soft water fish out. And with my well water being on the low side of being hard, I was hoping that might open things up a little.

Like I said, we never paid attention to that 25-30 years ago. Everything seemed to do just fine in water water came out of the tap. I'm trying to do things "right" now.

And I did read the cycling article. I've read a few cycling articles and watched several videos.
I gotta say though, I'm leaning towards simply adding some hardy fish once I get my plants established.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Like I said, we never paid attention to that 25-30 years ago. Everything seemed to do just fine in water water came out of the tap. I'm trying to do things "right" now.

I gotta say though, I'm leaning towards simply adding some hardy fish once I get my plants established.

...And, generally, fish died and got replaced...and died and got replaced...and died, etc.. Some of us struck lucky with our aquariums, but most did not and didn't without ever knowing why.
In the 60s, water was fine and there was no concept of water parameters or balance. Water was water.
In the 70s, balance' was appreciated, but was only limited to the balance between plants, photosynthesis and fish. Water, again, was fine for the fish, with it being acknowledged that added chlorine, for example, didn't harm the fish or plants.
In the 80s, the role of bacteria in 'digesting' waste was acknowledged and water conditioners began to arrive, to be added to water, so as not to kill those bacteria.
Now, we know in depth the role of bacteria and the Nitrogen Cycle and, indeed, the concept of a complete ecosystem in a tank. Today, snails are regarded as a Good Thing, even in planted aquariums! (How nuts is that?!? )

Back in the day, if fish survived, that was deemed 'good enough'. The hobby has now advanced, with more recognition of fish welfare and a greater appreciation of just what content and thriving fish look like, in a well-balanced and appropriate aquarium.
To be sure, it takes a lot more work nowadays to set a tank up properly, but the benefits are there to be seen once the (relatively) new science is taken into account. Sticking so-called 'hardy' fish in a poor tank will subject them to pain and stress and will likely kill some off. I believe that none of us really want to do that to another living thing. It's one thing to do it out of ignorance and another to do it knowingly.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

In trying to get an idea on future fish I see that cardinal tetras require a much lower pH and soft water, so I've already ruled them out. But I hate to rule all soft water fish out. And with my well water being on the low side of being hard, I was hoping that might open things up a little.

Hard water can be softened...and soft water can be hardened.

 

[PADogman]

I'll have to wait and see what the levels read when my kit comes in and things are planted for a week or two.
While I don't want or intend to sacrifice fish, another part of me finds it odd people would artificially help their tank along by squirting ammonia into it. I think I lean towards a more natural process.

But that's down the road. Right now I'm just trying to find out if hard and soft water boundaries can be crossed if your supposedly hard water is on the low side of the scale.

 

[PADogman]

Hard water can be softened...and soft water can be hardened.

But is there a middle road?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

But is there a middle road?

Yes...Once the water's out of the tap, you can do all sorts to it to get it to just how you want it for your fish.
Minerals can be added to soft water to harden it. Some of these will need replenishing over time.

Likewise, hard water can be softened by, for example, running it through peat moss, or by adding bogwood.

Another issue you need to consider is that, back in the day, most fish were imported from their native habitats and were quite needy when it came down to specific water requirements. Today, most of those same fish are born and raised in fishfarms and their whole experience of water is different from their wild bred compatriots. For example, Discus used to be very demanding and quite difficult to keep and breed and remain content. Today, most Discus are farm-bred and, as a consequence, are much easier to cater for.

 

[PADogman]

Today, most of those same fish are born and raised in fishfarms and their whole experience of water is different from their wild bred compatriots.

I read that.
I just found this article, which shed some light.

Raising Aquarium Fish in Hard Water Conditions

If your tap flows with hard water, fish of all sorts can still survive and even thrive in your aquarium.

www.thesprucepets.com

It has me wondering if the water softened from my tap to the tank because I have a couple pieces of driftwood and some topsoil in it?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I read that.
I just found this article, which shed some light.

Raising Aquarium Fish in Hard Water Conditions

If your tap flows with hard water, fish of all sorts can still survive and even thrive in your aquarium.

www.thesprucepets.com

It has me wondering if the water softened from my tap to the tank because I have a couple pieces of driftwood and some topsoil in it?

Sounds likely.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

While I don't want or intend to sacrifice fish, another part of me finds it odd people would artificially help their tank along by squirting ammonia into it.

As do I...and I didn't need to when I set my own tank up.

When the sleeper wakes...

I've been away from the hobby for 13 years and am now able to begin again with a tropical freshwater community tank. This will be my 'blog', with special mention to things changed for me within this hobby of ours. When I closed down my last tank, my fish, (bless their little socks), were...

www.fishforums.net

I went straight in with a planted tank and my only artificiality was to add some bottled bacterial cultures, to help the process along. (I used 'old' gravel, from 13 years ago, which contained a fair bit of organic matter).
Some snails arrived with the plants and I supplemented these with some nerites and I was able to add my first fish after just 18 days.

 

[PADogman]

I'm guessing I'll have some hitchhikers when my plants arrive.
I see some guys on YT saying to rub off any eggs you feel, but I'll hang onto them now.

Found an interesting chart.
According to this my water is considered soft.

There seems to be more leeway than I was led to believe. Which is a good thing.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Here's the test kit you need for cycling, though you need to buy the GH/KH kit separately: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255NCI/?tag=ff0d01-20

GH/KH: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003SNCHMA/?tag=ff0d01-20

I like to keep things simple when stocking my tanks, choose fish that will live comfortably with the tap hardness I already have.

Trying to soften or harden water just complicates matters, IMO.

 

[PADogman]

Here's the test kit you need for cycling, though you need to buy the GH/KH kit separately: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255NCI/?tag=ff0d01-20

GH/KH: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003SNCHMA/?tag=ff0d01-20

I like to keep things simple when stocking my tanks, choose fish that will live comfortably with the tap hardness I already have.

Trying to soften or harden water just complicates matters, IMO.

I like simple, too

Your first link is the kit I have on order. Should be here Tues.
Your second link doesn't do anything that the pool kit didn't.
My GH is 100ppm
My alkalinity (also known as KH, right?) is 40ppm. That works out to 2.236, which is low. I'm hoping the plants raise that.