GH9! how to reduce GH and TDS/EC

[Sprae]

Hi Shrimper Keepers!

I'm hope to get some advice when I found a couple of dead shrimps in my tank the past 2 days. After doing some extensive water testing, everything was perfect except the GH and TDS/EC.

TDS/EC has always been high without any issues, around 420us for EC. The last time I checked GH was three months ago, at GH5. Last night it was GH9 and 460EC. I was thinking there's a link between EC and GH values, so immediately did a 10% WC with WC water at 220us.

I plan to keep doing WC every 3 days until EC is under 300us. Hopefully this will lower the GH as well.

FYI, the only thing I've changed in the past month was cleaning my 2213 canister filter and adding a 3/4 pack of fulvic grains to keep the pH low. I do monthly WC regularly too.

I'm looking your experience in lowering GH and TDS/EC, so please help!

[jayc]

Best way to reduce GH and TDS is with RO water or rain water.

What sort of water are you using for water changes?

If you were using tap water, it might already have a high GH and TDS. Have you tested your water source?

[Sprae]

What sort of water are you using for water changes?

Sorry I didn't mention I only do WC with RO+SSM and target 350us. But now I'm lowering that to 230us for each 10% WC.

[jayc]

That's the right thing to be doing to lower TDS and GH. Keep it up. But it will take a while if you only change 10% water monthly.

Are you adding any additional Calcium and Mangesium ? That will increase GH and TDS as well.

[BlueBolts]

Gday Sprae, presume they're caridna shrimps ? (CRS/CBS/Mishlings…..) as GH 9/Ec is definitely too high….Be patient with lowering your TDS, as a sudden drop will cause issues too. Love to see an update pic of your tank ?

[Squiggle]

+1, can't really add anything new to that, definitely WC with RO & SSM, take it slow & be patient. Good luck with it dude & keep us up to date on how everything is going. :encouragement:

[ineke]

Sprae - My tanks have just finished cycling and needed their final water change as nitrates were high, I did a full water test and my GH was 9 and TDS 190 . I took 8 litres out of a 60 litre tank and filled it with straight RO redid the GH which had come down to 7 .

the tanks had no shrimp in them :)

[newbreed]

Hey Sprae.

When you do evaporation top ups, do you use just the RO or are you adding extra SSM too??

[Sprae]

Thanks for the advice guys. The water today is at 430us and definitely will do it slowly over the next few weeks. Just hoping for no more deaths.

Just noob question though, is GH actually linked to TDS or EC?

BB - I'll take some pics thus weekend for ya ;)

[Sprae]

Hey Sprae.

When you do evaporation top ups' date=' do you use just the RO or are you adding extra SSM too??[/quote']

No top ups. Just extract and replace. Add SSM to my RO

[neosin]

you are in melb right?

i'd say almost everyone would have a few dead shrimp in the past week without a chiller in melb

it's the fluctuation in temps over the past week that would stress and kill your shrimps

but 10% straight ro dripped slowly every few days will solve your gh problem

[Sprae]

you are in melb right?

i'd say almost everyone would have a few dead shrimp in the past week without a chiller in melb

it's the fluctuation in temps over the past week that would stress and kill your shrimps

but 10% straight ro dripped slowly every few days will solve your gh problem

Yes I'm in bloody hot Melbourne! But luckily I have a big chiller for my nano tank. It's not going to be temp issue as it never gets higher than 23.7c :)

[jayc]

Just noob question though' date=' is GH actually linked to TDS or EC?

[/quote']

General hardness (GH or dGH) refers to the dissolved concentration primarily of calcium, magnesium and other mineral ions.

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) are the total amount of mobile charged ions, including minerals, salts or metals dissolved in a given volume of water.

So TDS is a measure of how much "stuff" is in the water. The lower the measure, to purer it is. In some ways TDS is linked to GH, in that TDS measures some of the salts and minerals that make up GH, but TDS measures a lot more. You might have low Ca and Mg, but high metals - which might give you a low GH but high TDS. So it's not always safe to assume the two are linked where a high GH must mean a high TDS.

[Sprae]

In some ways TDS is linked to GH' date=' in that TDS measures some of the salts and minerals that make up GH, but TDS measures a lot more. You might have low Ca and Mg, but high metals - which might give you a low GH but high TDS. So it's not always safe to assume the two are linked where a high GH must mean a high TDS.[/quote']

Bugger~! If my GH doesn't drop later the next WC, when TDS/EC has then I need to find out what else is raising it!

[jayc]

GH should drop slowly. Use less Salty Shrimp GH+.

Unless you are also dosing Ca and Mg separately to Salty Shrimp.