[kfish]

Yesterday, I tested the KH and GH in my NPT.

GH is way too low (1-2... the first drop was between colors), as I knew it would be, since my parents' water is as soft as it can possibly go (I've added some fertilizer in the past, been a loooong time, so that's probably why it's in between 1 and 2, because the tap water is seriously 0)... the tap water in my apartment at college is 9 for GH, which I am THRILLED about, so I'll be doing some water changes to get that up... I also want the water to be a tiny bit more... clear. It's seriously brown with tannins, lol, which Sky probably likes, but I want it to be a bit more presentable. eeee Excited for my plants. When I drained the tank into gallon jugs to move, it looked like jugs of tea. XD

BUT my KH is 16 in the tank! Can it be too high?! Tap water here is 3 for KH, which as far as I know is too low... so it might balance out a bit with the water changes to get GH up. Should I be worried, though? I'm not sure if it's possible for KH to be too high.

pH was 8.4. To be honest, I RARELY check it, but I'll check it later today and make sure it's stable. Every time I've ever checked pH (which is once every like 3 months) it's been around 8.2 - 8.6, though.

And, in case anyone's wondering... still 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrate. 10 g tank, one betta, 2 ghost shrimp, 038402983409283409289042 snails (not really, haha... I commit a small-scale snail massacre everyday, multiple times a day... SO MUCH SNAIL POO ON THE BOTTOM OF MY TANK... seriously like a quarter of an inch layer).

Which brings me to another question... can there be TOO MUCH snail poo in a NPT? Rofl.

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SUMMARY, because I like to blab unnecessary info:
-Can kH be too high? If so, is 16 too high?
-Can there be too much snail poo in a NPT? Should I vacuum some of this quarter inch layer up?

 

[Silverfang]

Yes to too much snail poo, I think. As for the rest, hate you! My ph sinks like a stone 0kh/gh. My water has no buffering. Tested my ph and they didn't have a color for the shade. Guesstimated at 5.5.

Too bad we can't help each other out.

 

[kfryman]

Are they pond snails or something? I had pond snails because I introduced them to the tank. My females are hunters and now there are like 77483629283 shells on the ground, lol. If you are having problems though, get some assassin snails. They do exactly what the name suggests.

 

[kfish]

Are they pond snails or something? I had pond snails because I introduced them to the tank. My females are hunters and now there are like 77483629283 shells on the ground, lol. If you are having problems though, get some assassin snails. They do exactly what the name suggests.

I think they're pond snails. They're small - biggest are 1/2 inch... most are 1/8 inch. They hitchiked in on some plants I bought. I don't mind, though, since they add fertilizer. I just don't want them eating my plants when they run out of algae, since there really isn't any algae in the tank, so I kill them. They ate my red lotus to the ground, but it's coming back. >< It was huge, too. I just like to keep them in check. I'll stop massacring them when the population is under control. I wasn't able to keep them as... dead when I was only seeing the tank once ever 1-2 weeks, lol.

Sky doesn't eat them, sadly (maybe it's a good thing so he doesn't get fat, lol). He is entertained by them sometimes, though, and will just watch them move. I've also seen him pick one up and throw it. XD

I am debating getting a large, non-reproducing snail. Maybe one that digs.

 

[Oldfishlady]

Read this......http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/gh_kh_ph.php and maybe it will help you understand a bit more......Read all the article all the way to the end for even more insight.....

In my soil based tanks-I have twice as many snails than you...lol.....and I don't vacuum their waste or vacuum the floor of the tank at all-I leave it to become food for the plants.....

 

[kfish]

Read this......http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/gh_kh_ph.php and maybe it will help you understand a bit more......Read all the article all the way to the end for even more insight.....

In my soil based tanks-I have twice as many snails than you...lol.....and I don't vacuum their waste or vacuum the floor of the tank at all-I leave it to become food for the plants.....

Thank you! I found some older posts by you that said you just leave the poo, but I wanted to make sure because there's a lot, haha. I worried that it was bad for Sky when it gets swirled up when I prune plants and pick out snails then he swims through it.

I'll definitely be reading the article to the end, starting now.

 

[kfish]

Oh man, this article appeals to the engineer in me. Liking it. XD Chemistry is flowing back, bahaha.