Test strip result

[khongor]

Hello. 

Beginner here with my 1st tank. I checked my water with test strip. I think my buffer and pH of off the chart bad. Could someone help me understand this better please. Maybe recommend way to correct? 

Thank you.

[Sacah]

Hey,

How long after coming out of the water was this picture taken?

It's been a while since I used test strips, but I thought the GH, KH & pH needed to be checked after like 20 seconds (check your instructions) and the longer you left them the deeper the color went and looked similar to your picture. Also try to lay it flat as soon as you take it out of the water to avoid any water from the other pads leaking onto different pads.

[khongor]

I think it was well over 1 minute. I'll try one more time with good timing and flat area. 

[khongor]

I took one more test.

At 20 seconds 

And at

1 minutes (2nd pic)

Instructions on the back said check at 1 minute.

[EricksonAquatics]

I’m pretty sure that just means you have high pH and hard water. I remember Cory mentioning in a video that if the GH reading was purpley pink like that it just means you’ve got hard water!

If you followed the directions on the back she checked it at 1 min that should be the most accurate result you’re going to get 🙂

I haven’t seen that KH reading before but it also looks like you just have really high KH as well.

[Tony s]

Okay, so that means you have hard water with a high ph. So does 85% of the US. It”s fine. Not good or bad. Still tons of fish you can keep. Lots of very cool ones. The best thing you can do is find a local fish store or local breeder. The fish they keep, you can keep. The only fish I’d be concerned with are sensitive wild caught South American ones. Fish that are tank raised are probably going to do fine for you. They are accustomed to water that looks nothing like the water where the wild ones come from. More like your water. If you want to soften your water a bit, you can use ro water in a mix with your water. Until you get the numbers where you want them. But your water will work just fine for most fish. However, I would stay away from discus, Apistogramma, and German rams. They will grow for you, they won’t breed in your water, and they tend to fade over time. 
 

You can alter your water, but that can make for inconsistent water which makes things harder over time. And what your fish really need is consistency 

[Tony s]

There are exceptions of course. The is a member that raises discus in Iowa and a member that breeds beautiful German rams in Pennsylvania. Both in hard water. I think sometimes it’s more about keeping your water clean for those fish. And let’s not forget. All livebearers will love your water. Guppies, platys, mollies, swordtails, limias. As will snails and neocaradina shrimp.

[Tony s]

Oh, and a trip to PetSmart/co will give you a very good idea what fish are going to be the hardiest in your water. They’re not going to carry things in your local store that won’t grow there 

[mynameisnobody]

As mentioned, you have super hard water. Personally I’d use that to my advantage and load up on hard water species. Lake Tangyanika has some incredible species. Although, you could keep basically anything in there. As @Tony s mentioned, acquire locally for best results. 

[khongor]

Thank you all for reply and answers. 

As a beginner I'm trying to start with neon tetras and corydora. And maybe betta. 

They will not die in hard water right?  I used water conditioner from Petco. Used as directed. Coop said there is a leaf that softens water and darkens. I'm considering to use it if safer for fish.

[doktor zhivago]

I have liquid rock water and high ph and it doesn't read well on the ac test strips. I find test strips not really helpful if you're looking for actual exact numbers. They're good for just checking on things and making sure nothing has gotten too crazy in there.

I highly recommend a liquid test kit like the API one for getting actual numbers out of your nitrogen cycle especially for your first tank. The test strips really aren't helpful for new tanks at least in my experience. 

On 4/23/2024 at 12:52 AM, khongor said:

Thank you all for reply and answers. 

As a beginner I'm trying to start with neon tetras and corydora. And maybe betta. 

They will not die in hard water right?  I used water conditioner from Petco. Used as directed. Coop said there is a leaf that softens water and darkens. I'm considering to use it if safer for fish.

Almost every fish bred and raised in the US is on hard water. The exception being the pacific north west because they get their water straight out of glaciers with no dissolved solids. Most fish are perfectly fine in hard water and higher pH. A couple leafs in your tank are also not going to move your ph with all that alkaline buffer you have in there. 

[tolstoy21]

 

On 4/23/2024 at 12:52 AM, khongor said:

I used water conditioner from Petco. Used as directed. Coop said there is a leaf that softens water and darkens. I'm considering to use it if safer for fish.

Water conditioner typically does not affect the hardness and/or Ph of the water. With a Kh as high as yours, I doubt there is any reasonable amount of drift wood or leaves you could use to significantly drop those numbers.

Hard to say if tetras will do well in your water because I can't tell what your Ph/KH reading are other than they hit the maximum that the test strip can read.  Neon's should be fine up to a Ph or 8. Higher than that, maybe?

Honestly, I think all of us just starting this hobby tend to stress over water params only to find that, over time,  many typical, pet store fish will acclimate to a wider range of parameters than the internet would have us believe.

In my experience, trying to change your water's makeup can be a frustrating and usually unsuccessful effort. There are products you can use to lower the Ph/Kh of your aquarium, but these tend to make your parameters bounce. It's best to just stay the course with what you have.

What fish appreciate the most is stable parameters over perfect parameters.

Good luck and stay with the hobby even if you don't succeed with your first tank. (Alas, many of us don't. I know I didn't). And ask any question you want. Many knowledgable people here to help you on the journey.

Edited April 23 by tolstoy21

[Biotope Biologist]

Yes came to comment basically the same thing as @tolstoy21. Stable nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia are most important.

 

I think there are a few people on this forum who keep discus (a notoriously fussy fish) in liquid rock water so don’t worry about any if that or go chasing parameters for your fish. 

[Lonkley]

On 4/22/2024 at 9:52 PM, khongor said:

As a beginner I'm trying to start with neon tetras

They typically like softer water with lower ph.  Also they are also not the best genetically and have their own disease that makes them harder to keep alive.  

[jwcarlson]

Hard water with my sensitive fish can make the journey more difficult, but it doesn't mean you can't do it.  I've had pretty good luck with all sorts of soft water fish in my liquid rock water.  I will say that discus have been especially challenging now that I've had them for the last couple of years.  I'm struggling with an on going infection inside of at least one of my fish.  But that's besides the point for here.

With most of your bog standard fish from Petco/Petsmart, they'll likely be just fine in your water.  I breed sterbai corydoras in my liquid rock.  Same with CPDs, furcata rainbows, bristlenose plecos... there's a ton of options with just your normal tap water in almost every circumstance.  But it can present challenges.  

I think you'll be fine with what you've got most likely.

[johnnyxxl]

I think that the biggest issue with hardness and pH is breeding fish.  From the videos I have been watching for breeding various species that is one of the obstacles.  But the fish are otherwise happy and healthy.

[Lonkley]

Also in your case, I would take your water to your lfs and have them test it. 

[macdaddy36]

On 4/23/2024 at 12:52 AM, khongor said:

Thank you all for reply and answers. 

As a beginner I'm trying to start with neon tetras and corydora. And maybe betta. 

They will not die in hard water right?  I used water conditioner from Petco. Used as directed. Coop said there is a leaf that softens water and darkens. I'm considering to use it if safer for fish.

Corys and betta will probably be fine, neons might struggle. On the other hand, your water will be great for guppies platies etc.

 

[Tony s]

On 4/23/2024 at 12:52 AM, khongor said:

As a beginner I'm trying to start with neon tetras and corydora

Corys will do great unless they're wild caught. then maybe. neon tetras are difficult to keep alive anywhere right now. better would be green or black neons.

[khongor]

Many good advises. Thank you all.