# ALKALINITY AND HARDNESS



## kyle_5rb (Dec 20, 2004)

what is the best total alkalinity/buffering [KH] for piranha's?
and what is best best total hardness [GH] for piranha's?


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## Pterogho (Feb 8, 2004)

Carbonates do not affect P´s in any significant way, but a high Kh/bufferingcapacity makes your Ph hard/imposssible to alter in case you're not happy with it's reading.
5-10 dKh is in most cases fine for Ph-stabillity/ -controlability.
More than 15 dKh will make your Ph near impossible to change.

P's will also tolerate a good deal of hardness to your water, but soft water will bring out their colours better, and may also stimulate growth-balance to some degree.
I keep my P's at 6-8 dGh, and I'm quite satisfied with the results I get from that.


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## kyle_5rb (Dec 20, 2004)

whoa, whoa.....ok what is dkh and dgh?, my test kit just says "KH and GH" and tests in [ppm], and holy sh*t!!!! it's saying like 120 ppm for KH and 150ppm for GH. what do i do? and i have a master test kit that comes with 2 Ph test kits, one for Ph and one for high range Ph. i used both and on the normal Ph tester it reads from 6.0-7.6 and im getting 7.6 and on the high range tester [7.4-8.8] im getting about 7.4-7.8 [the colours kinda in the middle, more toward the 7.4]


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## smithgrind_who (Mar 26, 2004)

Hey kyle_5rb, dKH and dGH are units of measurement known as German degrees. This unit can be converted to parts per million ( ppm ) by multiplying it by 17.83 mg. So, 150ppm of GH is equal to 8 dGH. FYI, 150ppm is equivalent to 150mg/L and some kits use this unit which are the same. As of your pH results, if you use test tubes be sure to clean them with aquarium water first. Cleaning them first will ensure more accurate results. Having a pH around 7.4-7.6 is not a bad level. Since your aquarium isn't a controlled experiment I wouldn't worry if your results are not the same but close is good.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Your GH and KH is fine for P's. I wish i had your KH. Mine is half yours. Most likely you will not have PH swings since your KH is measuring a good carbonate level in your water.


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## Feeding_Frenzy (Feb 12, 2005)

How do you raise and keep a steady kH?


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