Last week I added my first 3 Botia Kobutai Loaches to my tank. The smallest of the three has been extremely active & looked healthy, but the larger 2 were lethargic and had clamped fins. I have no quarantine tank, so was planning to de-worm them (and my other fish) after they relaxed from the introduction. 1 week & 2 WC's later all 3 are flashing constantly. Their respective activity levels are the same, just flashing now. No other fish in the tank are flashing or showing signs of stress.
A little background:
My last bout of Ick started about a month ago, right after I lost a Male Silver Molly for no obvious reason. This morning I was watching my 2 remaining Mollies (1 M, 1 gravid F) & saw no signs of distress. However, at lunch time I noticed my last male Molly was belly up! I dont know why, but thought Ick may be returning as it did last time. In an attempt to nip it early, I removed the carbon & added a half dose of Jungle Ick-Clear (all I had...). Now the Loaches seem very irritated & I dont know what to do. Should I continue this course of Ick treatment, or do a WC & start treating with another product? Is it the worms & I've already made a big mistake?
This tank has been pure frustration since day one! I dont want to lose any more fish...especially my new Loaches!
Here is the rundown in your format:
Sick Fish- 3) Botia Kobutai (added 1 week ago)
Tank age- 8 weeks
Tank Size- 20G long, 30" x 12.5"
Filtration- AquaClear 50 (bio, carbon, mech), Whisper 10i (Bio-media only)
Temp- 82 F
Maintenance- 25% WC twice weekly, Filter housings cleaned weekly, Filter media changed every 2 weeks
New stock- the 3 sick Kobutia (added 1 week ago)
Tankmates- 2) 4" Opaline Gouramie, 1) gravid Silver Molly, 1) Rubberlip Pleco
Symptoms- Heavy flashing (Kobutai only). No visible Ick spots, lice, or other external signs.
History of symptoms- The 2 larger Kobutai were lethargic & hiding immediately, smaller one was very active. Now all 3 are flashing & dont care to hide. The small one is still active, but much more erratic. Even lethargic ones are more active, but only for flashing.
Water Parameters:
Nitrate- 10ppm
Nitrite- 0ppm
GH- 80ppm (dont know conversion to degrees)
KH- 180ppm
pH- 7.4
All help is greatly appreciated! Again, I dont want to lose my new Loaches, so I'm going to the experts!
Thanks!
Jake
Ich? So confused...
Moderator: LoachForumModerators
Hi Jake, welcome to Loaches!
Ich can get started inside the gills where you cannot see them, and can be brought into your tank this way.
Fish also flash when they itch for other reasons, for example water chemistry issues. Do you add any salt to this tank? Mollies seem to thrive in salted water, your other fish do not.
Rid Ich (by Kordon) seems to be a safer Ich remedy than the others. Even so I would add it this way:
1: Clear other meds from the water with a couple of big water changes and run some activated carbon for 24 hours. Do a very thorough gravel vac. If any Ich has fallen off the fish this will remove some (not all, but most)
If you use Amquel or Amquel Plus do not use this with the dye-based meds (Including Rid Ich) Use another dechlor.
2: Add 1/4 dose of Rid Ich in the AM, then 1/4 dose in the PM. The fish will only be dosed with 1/2 of the label recommendation. Mix each dose with some water and pour it in right in front of the filter so it is immediately spread out and there are no concentrated spots of less diluted Rid Ich.
3: Daily gravel vac to keep removing any Ich, and mix that day's dose of Rid Ich with the new water so there is no concentrated blast of it when it enters the tank.
4. An ultra violet Sterilizer will kill all sorts of single celled and small multi-celled critters.
Salt and heat is another good treatment. Have a look at the other posts in this forum, especially the most recent one by Keith.
I also have concerns about your stocking list. Opaline Gouramis get very large, and IME are among the more aggressive and territorial of Gouramis. If yours are both females they will probably be OK together, but 4" is too big for a 20 gallon tank.
The conversion factor for both sorts of hardness is 17.9 ppm = 1 German degree of hardness.
80 ppm is not too far off 4 degrees (rather soft, great for Gouramis and Loaches, not so good for Mollies)
180 ppm is just barely over 10 degrees, and I am surprised the pH is only in the low 7s when the KH is this high.
Ich can get started inside the gills where you cannot see them, and can be brought into your tank this way.
Fish also flash when they itch for other reasons, for example water chemistry issues. Do you add any salt to this tank? Mollies seem to thrive in salted water, your other fish do not.
Rid Ich (by Kordon) seems to be a safer Ich remedy than the others. Even so I would add it this way:
1: Clear other meds from the water with a couple of big water changes and run some activated carbon for 24 hours. Do a very thorough gravel vac. If any Ich has fallen off the fish this will remove some (not all, but most)
If you use Amquel or Amquel Plus do not use this with the dye-based meds (Including Rid Ich) Use another dechlor.
2: Add 1/4 dose of Rid Ich in the AM, then 1/4 dose in the PM. The fish will only be dosed with 1/2 of the label recommendation. Mix each dose with some water and pour it in right in front of the filter so it is immediately spread out and there are no concentrated spots of less diluted Rid Ich.
3: Daily gravel vac to keep removing any Ich, and mix that day's dose of Rid Ich with the new water so there is no concentrated blast of it when it enters the tank.
4. An ultra violet Sterilizer will kill all sorts of single celled and small multi-celled critters.
Salt and heat is another good treatment. Have a look at the other posts in this forum, especially the most recent one by Keith.
I also have concerns about your stocking list. Opaline Gouramis get very large, and IME are among the more aggressive and territorial of Gouramis. If yours are both females they will probably be OK together, but 4" is too big for a 20 gallon tank.
The conversion factor for both sorts of hardness is 17.9 ppm = 1 German degree of hardness.
80 ppm is not too far off 4 degrees (rather soft, great for Gouramis and Loaches, not so good for Mollies)
180 ppm is just barely over 10 degrees, and I am surprised the pH is only in the low 7s when the KH is this high.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
Well, that explains the dead Molly... All Loaches are happily eating & playing this morning. No flashing at all. What the heck MAN???!!!!
As far as my stocking goes, I know it's overstocked right now & a little screwy as far as compatibility, but this is temporary while the Fiance & I get our stuff moved back & forth. The 20G was supposed to be a grow out tank for the 125G we are going to put in the lobby here at the office, but we'll have to see how all that turns out. I cant wait to stop stocking!
Maybe you can help me out with my pH dilemma... I have a "Live pH" meter in the tank, which reads 7.0. I also have a master test kit, which reads 7.4. I do a quik-dip strip each morning for convenience & it says 7.8! I trust the master kit, but I was told there was a small margin of error, so I split that number with the next lower reading. Why am I getting these different results? How should I reconcile them?
THANKS ALL!!!!!
As far as my stocking goes, I know it's overstocked right now & a little screwy as far as compatibility, but this is temporary while the Fiance & I get our stuff moved back & forth. The 20G was supposed to be a grow out tank for the 125G we are going to put in the lobby here at the office, but we'll have to see how all that turns out. I cant wait to stop stocking!
Maybe you can help me out with my pH dilemma... I have a "Live pH" meter in the tank, which reads 7.0. I also have a master test kit, which reads 7.4. I do a quik-dip strip each morning for convenience & it says 7.8! I trust the master kit, but I was told there was a small margin of error, so I split that number with the next lower reading. Why am I getting these different results? How should I reconcile them?
THANKS ALL!!!!!
Master Test kit usually has 2 pH tests. One is a high range, the other is mid range.
If your pH is really within the high range then the mid range kit will just show the highest pH it can.
If your pH is actually 7.8 then this is definitely in the high range test kit's range.
I have a rather hard time reading the test strips. At the upper end it is all rich orange-red.
You can check each of these methods with a couple of tests that are not related to the aquarium:
Test some pure tap water, right out of the tap. The 3 should read the same.
Let some tap water stand open to the air for 24-48 hours, then test that. This might change from the 'right out of the tap' water, but, again, all three tests ought to agree.
With these 2 tests as the baseline you can add something acidic to the water (vinegar, lemon juice...) and test that.
You can add baking soda to the water (not with the vinegar) and test the KH and pH.
...1 teaspoon of baking soda added to a standard 29 gallon tank will raise the KH by 2 degrees, and raised the pH in this tank from 6.0 to 6.2. This rise in pH will vary, though at different parts of the pH scale, since it is not a linear scale. The smallest volume that might be easy to measure to confirm this might be 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda in 3 gallons of water. (This assumes that my 29 gallon tank really does not hold 29 gallons because of rocks, substrate and so on)
Most fish are not so concerned about what the pH actually is, anyway. To prepare the water properly for the fish I would:
1) Make the GH right.
2) Make the KH roughly equal to the GH.
3) Add chemical media such as peat moss for rain forest fish (Loaches, Gouramis, most South American fish), or coral sand for hard water fish (Livebearers, Rift Lake Cichlids).
4) Let pH fall wherever it wants to.
5) Monitor pH as part of all the other tests, but heads up only if it changes from previous tests, then see what lead to the change.
I have not used the hang-in-tank tests. I have heard on other forums that the ammonia one seems to be accurate, but takes a long time (several hours? overnight?) to react or return to neutral/0 ppm after a water change has removed the ammonia. I do not know if the pH gauge is the same.
If your pH is really within the high range then the mid range kit will just show the highest pH it can.
If your pH is actually 7.8 then this is definitely in the high range test kit's range.
I have a rather hard time reading the test strips. At the upper end it is all rich orange-red.
You can check each of these methods with a couple of tests that are not related to the aquarium:
Test some pure tap water, right out of the tap. The 3 should read the same.
Let some tap water stand open to the air for 24-48 hours, then test that. This might change from the 'right out of the tap' water, but, again, all three tests ought to agree.
With these 2 tests as the baseline you can add something acidic to the water (vinegar, lemon juice...) and test that.
You can add baking soda to the water (not with the vinegar) and test the KH and pH.
...1 teaspoon of baking soda added to a standard 29 gallon tank will raise the KH by 2 degrees, and raised the pH in this tank from 6.0 to 6.2. This rise in pH will vary, though at different parts of the pH scale, since it is not a linear scale. The smallest volume that might be easy to measure to confirm this might be 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda in 3 gallons of water. (This assumes that my 29 gallon tank really does not hold 29 gallons because of rocks, substrate and so on)
Most fish are not so concerned about what the pH actually is, anyway. To prepare the water properly for the fish I would:
1) Make the GH right.
2) Make the KH roughly equal to the GH.
3) Add chemical media such as peat moss for rain forest fish (Loaches, Gouramis, most South American fish), or coral sand for hard water fish (Livebearers, Rift Lake Cichlids).
4) Let pH fall wherever it wants to.
5) Monitor pH as part of all the other tests, but heads up only if it changes from previous tests, then see what lead to the change.
I have not used the hang-in-tank tests. I have heard on other forums that the ammonia one seems to be accurate, but takes a long time (several hours? overnight?) to react or return to neutral/0 ppm after a water change has removed the ammonia. I do not know if the pH gauge is the same.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
What is the best method & how slow should I go about dropping the KH to match the GH? I have "SeaChem Neutral Regulator 7.0" powder and "API pH Down" liquid. Will these work? Is there a more natural method I should use (Lemon Juice, etc.)? My tap water is very high KH, so this will require a decent amount of whatever I end up using...
Jake, having high KH in the water is like having a bucket full of rocks.
If your goal is a bucket with not many rocks then you are not going to get there by ADDING things to the water. You need to remove the carbonates, not add other things. That would be like picking up the rocks and dropping them back into the bucket. Does not actually accomplish anything, just makes temporary changes that revert to the original bucket of rocks. See below the line for more info.
Have a look in the thread about 'messed up Ich treatment' for a couple of links with more info about Ich. If Ich is the current problem, this is the one to concentrate on right now. You would be seeing Ich on the outside of the fish by now, it this was the problem. Rarely Ich stays inside the gills, and you cannot see it.
If there is some other parasite problem this needs prompt treatment.
If all the fish have stopped flashing, then I would get going on the treatment for internal parasites, using Levamisol. It has a side effect of boosting the immune system too.
______________________________________________________________
My comment about lemon juice or vinegar was as a way to check your pH test kits. Use one or the other in some tap water, not the tank and test the pH. If all the test kits responded to water with a different pH then they were at least functioning well enough to help you some. If the tests were not consistent then you would know that one or the other testing method was not accurate.
If you really want to start messing with water chemistry...
You can get started doing a few tests in buckets and see if you really want to do this. The benefits may be healthier fish, but there is some work involved. Once you see how much work, you can decide whether you want to do this or not. Do not initiate these changes in the aquarium until whatever issue is going on has been cleared up.
Get a gallon of reverse osmosis or distilled water (grocery store or other stores). This sort of water has no minerals. Mixing it with tap water will dilute the KH (and GH), so lower it.
Mix various amounts of your tap water and RO water until you get the KH you want. Then add minerals to bring the GH back up.
The minerals I use to raise GH are found in Seachem's Equilibrium, or Barr's GH Booster.
Example:
25% tap water + 75% RO. Test KH, this might be just right, or it might drop the KH too much.
50/50. KH might still be a bit high, but not too bad.
75% tap + 25% RO. I do not think the KH will come down much.
When you find a blend that results in a KH of about 5 degrees, or roughly 100 ppm add enough Equilibrium to make the GH read about the same. These minerals dissolve slowly. Read the label, add about half of what it seems to say, stir well then test in a few hours. Add more as needed.
Then let the bucket sit for several days, and test it. If the KH and GH are stable, and this is what you want for your tank, then you will have to always make up this mixture or RO and tap water with some minerals added for every water change. Initiate the change slowly. Perhaps 10% water change 2-3 times a week with the new mix.
Lets say you found 33% tap water + 66% RO and 1 teaspoons of Barr's GH Booster was the right recipe when you made up 1 gallon of the mix. (just pulling numbers from the air for this)
and you wanted to make up about 5 gallons on new water for a water change you would need to:
1) set up a 5 gallon bucket where the water is safe from kids.
2) Have a small pump, such as a table-top fountain pump.
3) Buy 3 gallons of RO water.
4) Mix 3 gallons RO + 1.5 gallons tap water and 5 teaspoons GH Booster.
5) Stir well, then set up the pump to run overnight to finish dissolving the minerals.
6) Just before the water change add the right amount of dechlor (for 1.5 gallons of water) to the bucket. Heat the water if needed. (Heat half a gallon of this water in a stainless steel pot on the stove, not even as hot as boiling then add it back to the bucket and check with a thermometer)
7) Do the water change, using the new mix every time. Monitor the GH and KH to be sure they are holding steady.
Research the fish you want to keep. Most fish fall into one of 3 groups, and there is some overlap. The first 2 groups should not be kept in the same tanks, their water chemistry needs do not overlap.
Soft water fish prefer low GH and KH (usually under 5 degrees, certainly under 10 degrees) and acidic to neutral pH, often filtered with peat moss (though not all fish like or need peat moss filtration). They usually come from rain forest waters. Lots of rain dilutes all the salts and minerals so the water is very soft, very low GH and KH. Organic matter makes the pH acidic. (under 7.0)
Hard water fish prefer GH and KH at 10 degrees or higher, even 20 degrees or more is not bad for them. They come from drier areas with less plants, so no peat filtration. pH in these lakes and streams is well above neutral, usually close to 8.0.
Hatchery raised fish, and others that handle a wider range of conditions:
The optimum range for more widely adapted fish is usually somewhere from about 5 degrees GH to 15 degrees GH. pH may be anywhere from 6.5 to 7.5 or a wider spread, depending on species. They may be kept with either hard water or soft water fish, if other conditions are right.
These fish may have originated in areas with changing weather conditions that result in varying levels of minerals dissolved in the lakes and streams over the course of the year, or they may be hatchery raised fish where only the fish that could adapt to the water in the hatchery lived to breed, and usually this water had a range of conditions that were not quite as extreme as the waters their ancestors evolved in, so hatchery raised fish often can handle conditions that their ancestors (or wild caught specimens) cannot. Even hatchery raised fish are not really going to thrive in water that is the complete opposite of where they evolved, though. Hard water fish that have been bred for many years will still prefer somewhat hard, alkaline water, they may be OK with water a little closer to neutral, and medium hardness than their ancestors. Soft water fish that have been hatchery raised will still prefer softer, acidic water, but can tolerate water that is just a little on the other side of neutral pH, and harder than their ancestors.
Specifically your fish: Mollies are a complex hybrid including some brackish water parents and some hard water parents. They thrive in hard, alkaline water, and can handle salt levels up to full marine conditions. They do not do well in soft, acidic water.
Opaline Gouramis are about as adaptable as Gouramis get. They are from slow moving rain forest waters, and more open areas where these waters drain into. They will handle a wide range of conditions, GH around 5-35 degrees, pH between 6.0-8.0. They can handle salt for medical treatment, but it is not good full time for them. For breeding they require narrower range of conditions: pH 6.5-7, and GH no higher than 10 degrees.
For each species of Loach, look up their needs here at Loaches. Many are soft water, peat moss optional, low GH fish. They can tolerate low levels of salt when it is done carefully for medical treatment, but are generally not good with salt in the tank all the time.
If your goal is a bucket with not many rocks then you are not going to get there by ADDING things to the water. You need to remove the carbonates, not add other things. That would be like picking up the rocks and dropping them back into the bucket. Does not actually accomplish anything, just makes temporary changes that revert to the original bucket of rocks. See below the line for more info.
Have a look in the thread about 'messed up Ich treatment' for a couple of links with more info about Ich. If Ich is the current problem, this is the one to concentrate on right now. You would be seeing Ich on the outside of the fish by now, it this was the problem. Rarely Ich stays inside the gills, and you cannot see it.
If there is some other parasite problem this needs prompt treatment.
If all the fish have stopped flashing, then I would get going on the treatment for internal parasites, using Levamisol. It has a side effect of boosting the immune system too.
______________________________________________________________
My comment about lemon juice or vinegar was as a way to check your pH test kits. Use one or the other in some tap water, not the tank and test the pH. If all the test kits responded to water with a different pH then they were at least functioning well enough to help you some. If the tests were not consistent then you would know that one or the other testing method was not accurate.
If you really want to start messing with water chemistry...
You can get started doing a few tests in buckets and see if you really want to do this. The benefits may be healthier fish, but there is some work involved. Once you see how much work, you can decide whether you want to do this or not. Do not initiate these changes in the aquarium until whatever issue is going on has been cleared up.
Get a gallon of reverse osmosis or distilled water (grocery store or other stores). This sort of water has no minerals. Mixing it with tap water will dilute the KH (and GH), so lower it.
Mix various amounts of your tap water and RO water until you get the KH you want. Then add minerals to bring the GH back up.
The minerals I use to raise GH are found in Seachem's Equilibrium, or Barr's GH Booster.
Example:
25% tap water + 75% RO. Test KH, this might be just right, or it might drop the KH too much.
50/50. KH might still be a bit high, but not too bad.
75% tap + 25% RO. I do not think the KH will come down much.
When you find a blend that results in a KH of about 5 degrees, or roughly 100 ppm add enough Equilibrium to make the GH read about the same. These minerals dissolve slowly. Read the label, add about half of what it seems to say, stir well then test in a few hours. Add more as needed.
Then let the bucket sit for several days, and test it. If the KH and GH are stable, and this is what you want for your tank, then you will have to always make up this mixture or RO and tap water with some minerals added for every water change. Initiate the change slowly. Perhaps 10% water change 2-3 times a week with the new mix.
Lets say you found 33% tap water + 66% RO and 1 teaspoons of Barr's GH Booster was the right recipe when you made up 1 gallon of the mix. (just pulling numbers from the air for this)
and you wanted to make up about 5 gallons on new water for a water change you would need to:
1) set up a 5 gallon bucket where the water is safe from kids.
2) Have a small pump, such as a table-top fountain pump.
3) Buy 3 gallons of RO water.
4) Mix 3 gallons RO + 1.5 gallons tap water and 5 teaspoons GH Booster.
5) Stir well, then set up the pump to run overnight to finish dissolving the minerals.
6) Just before the water change add the right amount of dechlor (for 1.5 gallons of water) to the bucket. Heat the water if needed. (Heat half a gallon of this water in a stainless steel pot on the stove, not even as hot as boiling then add it back to the bucket and check with a thermometer)
7) Do the water change, using the new mix every time. Monitor the GH and KH to be sure they are holding steady.
Research the fish you want to keep. Most fish fall into one of 3 groups, and there is some overlap. The first 2 groups should not be kept in the same tanks, their water chemistry needs do not overlap.
Soft water fish prefer low GH and KH (usually under 5 degrees, certainly under 10 degrees) and acidic to neutral pH, often filtered with peat moss (though not all fish like or need peat moss filtration). They usually come from rain forest waters. Lots of rain dilutes all the salts and minerals so the water is very soft, very low GH and KH. Organic matter makes the pH acidic. (under 7.0)
Hard water fish prefer GH and KH at 10 degrees or higher, even 20 degrees or more is not bad for them. They come from drier areas with less plants, so no peat filtration. pH in these lakes and streams is well above neutral, usually close to 8.0.
Hatchery raised fish, and others that handle a wider range of conditions:
The optimum range for more widely adapted fish is usually somewhere from about 5 degrees GH to 15 degrees GH. pH may be anywhere from 6.5 to 7.5 or a wider spread, depending on species. They may be kept with either hard water or soft water fish, if other conditions are right.
These fish may have originated in areas with changing weather conditions that result in varying levels of minerals dissolved in the lakes and streams over the course of the year, or they may be hatchery raised fish where only the fish that could adapt to the water in the hatchery lived to breed, and usually this water had a range of conditions that were not quite as extreme as the waters their ancestors evolved in, so hatchery raised fish often can handle conditions that their ancestors (or wild caught specimens) cannot. Even hatchery raised fish are not really going to thrive in water that is the complete opposite of where they evolved, though. Hard water fish that have been bred for many years will still prefer somewhat hard, alkaline water, they may be OK with water a little closer to neutral, and medium hardness than their ancestors. Soft water fish that have been hatchery raised will still prefer softer, acidic water, but can tolerate water that is just a little on the other side of neutral pH, and harder than their ancestors.
Specifically your fish: Mollies are a complex hybrid including some brackish water parents and some hard water parents. They thrive in hard, alkaline water, and can handle salt levels up to full marine conditions. They do not do well in soft, acidic water.
Opaline Gouramis are about as adaptable as Gouramis get. They are from slow moving rain forest waters, and more open areas where these waters drain into. They will handle a wide range of conditions, GH around 5-35 degrees, pH between 6.0-8.0. They can handle salt for medical treatment, but it is not good full time for them. For breeding they require narrower range of conditions: pH 6.5-7, and GH no higher than 10 degrees.
For each species of Loach, look up their needs here at Loaches. Many are soft water, peat moss optional, low GH fish. They can tolerate low levels of salt when it is done carefully for medical treatment, but are generally not good with salt in the tank all the time.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
Chef- Thanks for the input, but your tone & derogatory statements make it very difficult to accept advice from you. I can tell this forum is populated by some very sharp people & you may be one of them, but talking down to the less-experienced people will only do harm to the forum. That said, I hope our future exchanges can be a bit more civil.
Diana- Thanks for the testing ideas & clarification. I will do that, but I think I need to do another WC before I have a chance to experiment. Is it acceptable to use Spring water or some other commercially available water? My tap water is just SO high in KH.
Thanks!
Diana- Thanks for the testing ideas & clarification. I will do that, but I think I need to do another WC before I have a chance to experiment. Is it acceptable to use Spring water or some other commercially available water? My tap water is just SO high in KH.
Thanks!
The main problem with bottled water is that there are no standards to make sure that it is the same each time. Often these companies may actually start with tap water, run it through a simple filter, perhaps activated carbon, then add a few minerals that make it taste better to us.
It might be that those minerals are not going to make something labeled 'Spring Water' or 'Drinking Water' any better for the tank.
If you use RO or Distilled water you know what you are getting. These waters have all the minerals, salts and everything else removed. This way when you add them to your tap water they are actually diluting the level of KH in your tap water.
If you want to use only RO or DI water for your aquarium then you will have to add some minerals to this sort of water. By itself, neither of these are good for the fish.
To raise GH I use Seachem Equilibrium or Barr's GH booster. They have calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. These are more like plant fertilizers, but make a good blend of minerals to add to RO water.
To raise KH I use baking soda. With the KH so high in your tap water, I really would work out a recipe that will work for your fish.
You can buy a reverse osmosis water filter for the house. You could shop at fish related sites to find one, but also look into the water purifying companies and see what is available.
It might be that those minerals are not going to make something labeled 'Spring Water' or 'Drinking Water' any better for the tank.
If you use RO or Distilled water you know what you are getting. These waters have all the minerals, salts and everything else removed. This way when you add them to your tap water they are actually diluting the level of KH in your tap water.
If you want to use only RO or DI water for your aquarium then you will have to add some minerals to this sort of water. By itself, neither of these are good for the fish.
To raise GH I use Seachem Equilibrium or Barr's GH booster. They have calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. These are more like plant fertilizers, but make a good blend of minerals to add to RO water.
To raise KH I use baking soda. With the KH so high in your tap water, I really would work out a recipe that will work for your fish.
You can buy a reverse osmosis water filter for the house. You could shop at fish related sites to find one, but also look into the water purifying companies and see what is available.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
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