new information for my below apisto post

[creaturemd]

It has been some time since I tested the general hardness of my problem tank described below. I mentioned that my carbonate hardness was higher in that tank and that I attributed this to the use of plant fertilizer. Someone told me that where fish were concerned, general hardness was not nearly as important as kH, so I focused on minimizing kH and stopped testing gH altogether. While reading some other posts, I got the feeling that maybe this was inaccurate. So, I tested the gH of my tank. To my surprise, the general hardness in this tank was approaching 15!!! I quickly tested some of the bottled R/O water I've been using and it was virtually zero. Then, I retested bottled water with a single drop of the fertilizer added. The gH went from zero to ten! Now the question becomes...could this explain the unusual deaths I've been seeing? Is a gH of 15 enough to kill apistos? Is the huge difference between kH and gH a factor? It looks like I'll be tossing that fertilizer. Thanks again.

Heather

 

[aspen]

something is seriously up with that! i added 5 mls of tmg to my planted last night. i measured the gh just now (35 gal... ~28 gal of water) and the gh is around 4, just about what i measured before i added the fert.

(measured with aquarium pharmaceuticals gh/kh kit)

i have never detected a rise in gh or kh after adding tmg. that is very strange. i have never heard that tmg raises gh.

rick

 

[creaturemd]

The only other difference between this tank and my other tank is that the problem tank contains a couple of small pieces of lava rock and some flourite mixed in with the gravel. I'm not sure whether this could raise the gH, but I think the little science experiment I performed is irrefutable. Granted, we're talking about a drop of fertilizer in only 5 mls of water which is a fairly high concentration, but going from virtually 0 to 10 degrees is a huge jump! I'm sure that over time this concentration could build up in a tank to the levels I'm seeing even with frequent water changes. Also, I've been adding 7 mls with each 25% water change! (according to the instructions) Simply doing the math suggests that this buildup could occur fairly quickly. As to my previous question...Could a gH of 15 actually cause death in apistos like the ones that I'm seeing? Thanks again. Sorry to be so persisent, but I really want to solve this problem and it seems like this might be the place! Thanks so much for all the great input. Fabulous forum!!! Wish I'd found it months ago!

Heather

 

[aspen]

ok, a little confusion: a single drop in 5 mls = a 1/125 solution. (there are roughly 25 drops in a ml.) the dosage on the bottle is 5 mls/ 50 litres, a 1/ 10,00 solution. that means that a single drop in 5 mls is 80 times the recomended dose. (10,00/125) so, i guess what you saw IS possible, but you had me really thinking for a minute...

i wonder how long it has been since you have drained this tank, or have you been following this dosing for so long...

>>'I'm sure that over time this concentration could build up in a tank to the levels I'm seeing even with frequent water changes.'

yes, it could, i wonder how long this tank has been running?? maybe it is time for some multiple big water changes, with no fert additions, followed by just the recomended dose? just because your gh kit measured a high gh, doesn't that mean that one or more elements in the fert not measured by your gh kit, could be building up to dangerous levels?

this post sure twigs me to the fact that watching how i use fert will be in the cards.

the question: will a gh of 15 kill apistos? i don't know, but i do know that they prefer softer water. is there anything else that could be leaching into the water column, adding to the hardness?

i think you have figured out something about your water chemistry that could be a problem. maybe try large multiple water changes and keep an eye on your water chemistry. 2- 75% water changes will leave only 6.75% of the original water in the tank. then go from there.

rick

rick