Habitat - Indoor :: Water Chem test results

[Starscream]

Okay, well I got my snazzy api fresh water master test kit yesterday and went ahead and tested everything.


P.h. - 8.2
Ammonia - .25
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10

Biggest concern is the ph, I have very hard water. What is the best way to lower this, on a permanent basis? I am thinking peat in the filter but don't want brown water. My tap water is getting tested today. I will post those results here as well.

[steve]

How much water is in your tank?

[Starscream]

55 gallons, and I just installed the fx 6 yesterday. I will be in a 240 by december though.

[Starscream]

I have very hard water, I need to fix that without adding salt.

[ljapa]

My tap varies between 8.2 and 7.8 Ph. I forget total hardness, but it's like 17 drops or so using the API test kit.

Our turtle's been fine. I did add an overflow to a sump, so I can keep the hard water line that forms above the plastic rim, so I don't have to see it.

[Starscream]

So that is not harmfull to my turtles?

[ljapa]

Peat's supposed to have some anti-bacterial action and some other good stuff that it does for the water. I did buy a box of the expensive aquarium peat to add to my filter once. It hardly changed the ph. My water comes from Lake Michigan, and I know in-laws in towns south of me that get water from municipal wells have even harder water than I do.

I figure that the surface ponds filled with turtles around here are probably also pretty hard water. In hard water, it's very hard to alter the Ph because the calcium carbonate tends to buffer any acid you add.

In the end, I didn't worry much and have seen no ill effects.

[Starscream]

Thanks for the info.