ChrisS Posted November 7, 2017 Report Share Posted November 7, 2017 Hi, I am getting back into the hobby and setting up my first tank. However, I have some trouble dealing with our rainwater supply. I kept east African cichlids back in Europe (15 yrs ago) as our water supply was quite hard (>16 °dH). Since in New Zealand we moved into a rural area and are on tank water stored in concrete tanks (3yrs old). My current water parameters are: pH 6.8 KH <20ppm GH <20ppm Which was fine with me as it opened the possibility to keep all those species that I wasn't able to in Europe (without RO), like Tetras and Corys. Now, I am starting to fear that my water will be too artificial and may miss some necessary components for fish and plants. But there should be plenty of people around this forum facing similar situations! So should I be concerned and try to blend my water with some water from work (Palmerston North), add some minerals (eg. Seachem, Epsom,...)? Many Thanks Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted November 7, 2017 Report Share Posted November 7, 2017 Too artificial? It doesn't get much less artificial than rain water. I use a very complicated process to deal with my rain water. 1. Connect hose to kitchen tap. 2. Put other end in tank. 3. Turn water on and adjust temp. I do put a few handfuls of coral fingers and rock in my filters because it helps keep the PH from dropping. But I haven't actually checked the PH in years. livingart and patrickc22 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted November 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2017 Thanks Ira, good to know which protocol you follow as I used the same so far! 14 hours ago, Ira said: Too artificial? It doesn't get much less artificial than rain water. Sorry, I should have been more clear and used "artificial OR miss". e.g. concrete contains a lot of Aluminum (according to Wikipedia) which may be harmful to fish or my water may miss something for the plants (eg. Potassium). Also, I think I remember some Forum post about nitrifying bacteria not doing so well in very soft water? 18 hours ago, Ira said: I do put a few handfuls of coral fingers and rock in my filters because it helps keep the PH from dropping. But I haven't actually checked the PH in years. Yes, I fear rapid changes in pH with my low KH and planned to add some shell grit to the filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shilo Posted November 8, 2017 Report Share Posted November 8, 2017 If the water from your concrete tank has a low KH then I wouldn't worry about aluminium leaching out, the water tank would be very well aged for a low KH and any aluminium would have leached out long ago. Fresh concrete should have a high KH because it is made from calcium carbonate. Before fiddling with the water chemistry for plants, grow some first and then work out what if anything is missing. The plants will tell you with the colour of any dying leaves what they need. Same for the BB, I wouldn't consider 6.8 as very soft water & also had no problems when I was on tank water. A lot of minerals will be added naturally from excess food and waste of the fish and BB. Apply the K.I.S.S principle and adjust what is needed when you know it is needed. livingart 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccmuva Posted April 22, 2023 Report Share Posted April 22, 2023 I put Eggs Shels . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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