Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2005 1:55 am
Potassium is an element that can be a limiting factor in plant growth. There are definitely test kits for it. While I didn't specifically know that KCl is potentially harmful, I always recommend not using water that's gone through a water softener in the first place, no matter which softening "salt" you're using. Zebras do just fine in high pH water. You'll have to keep in mind that ammonia is MUCH more toxic at higher ph is all.
People have recommended a few times a mix of RO water and some of your tap water for stability. It works well, keeps the water from being so hard the pH stays high and causes potential problems, but also keeps the buffering capacity high enough the pH won't fall. A RO unit is not a big expense, IMO, and they take up a little space under a cabinet. You can just run it for a day before changes and then top up a pretreatment barrel with tap and pump it into tanks.
I'm pretty sure Tom's point was that for the cost of one of those dead zebras you could have saved yourself all this heartache by buying an RO. We all have differing levels of compromise that must be reached with our spouses about our hobby. You aren't alone in that. Just find something he likes to do and blackmail him about it, like the rest of us . I actually just do my best to make sure my hubby is happy enough that it doesn't pay for him to make me unhappy.
Bottom line is that your fish will be fine in your tap water. They tolerate the 7.8 pH here well enough to spawn in it. Now you know not to use water that's been through a water softener, and hopefully your problems will be over. Good luck!
Barbie
People have recommended a few times a mix of RO water and some of your tap water for stability. It works well, keeps the water from being so hard the pH stays high and causes potential problems, but also keeps the buffering capacity high enough the pH won't fall. A RO unit is not a big expense, IMO, and they take up a little space under a cabinet. You can just run it for a day before changes and then top up a pretreatment barrel with tap and pump it into tanks.
I'm pretty sure Tom's point was that for the cost of one of those dead zebras you could have saved yourself all this heartache by buying an RO. We all have differing levels of compromise that must be reached with our spouses about our hobby. You aren't alone in that. Just find something he likes to do and blackmail him about it, like the rest of us . I actually just do my best to make sure my hubby is happy enough that it doesn't pay for him to make me unhappy.
Bottom line is that your fish will be fine in your tap water. They tolerate the 7.8 pH here well enough to spawn in it. Now you know not to use water that's been through a water softener, and hopefully your problems will be over. Good luck!
Barbie