水草情迷

Can anyone tell me if it's necessary to use "SOFTENIZER" into the tank?

If my tank is about 42" long, which size do I need?


Thanks.


B.rgds
Quincy
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If you're using soil as substrate, if you haven't got many rocks or stones in your aquarium, you won't need a softhenizer. But if you want to make sure of that, you can go to Fish Street and buy a KH/GH test kit, just around $50, if your KH is too high(more than 4dh), you may need a softhenizer. Beside, even if the KH/GH is high, but your fish & plants is still growing and living well, why waste the money to buy it?



P.S. For the KH/GH test kit, I recommand you buy the "Hagen" or "Nutrafin" (they are the same brand, just 2 names), the price is around $55 something. The reason I recommand this is most other brand sells their KH/GH test kit sepratelly, so you'll have to spend more money, but the "Hagen" one already inclued both test in the same package.

Dear Ernest,

Thanks for your advise.

I used to have a tank before but failed in maintaining those plant. However, I want to try again.

I prepare to use ADA soil as the foundation, may be I don't need to Softenizer now. Appreciate you save my money.

Can you let me know what's the KH/GH level it has to maintain?

Sorry, I am new guys, too much to ask!



B.rgds
Quincy

Acctually if you're using ADA soil, you won't have to worry about the KH/GH level. But if you have stones or rocks in your aquarium, you might need to take a test to confirm that...

Acctually the instruction booklet have already advice you the ideal KH/GH level for freshwater aquarium, just follow the instruction is ok.

For GH, most aquatic plants and fishes need soft water, so that's under 60mg/L CaCO3

For KH, since KH and pH have a very close relationship, and most fresh water aquarium need a low pH (around 5.5 - 6.8, depends on what fishes you're keeping, usually 6.5 is the ok for 95% fishes to live), so when pH is low, the KH will also be low. There is no ideal KH in this world. When KH is low, the pH level is very easy to be changed, when KH is high, it's harder to change the pH level. So, some people like low pH, because they can easily lower their pH by the injection of CO2, but some people like high KH, cause some people already have a ideal pH level in their aquarium and don't want it to be changed easily. As my advice for beginners, it better for you to have a low KH level, coz the pH of most freshwater aquarium tend to be high(tap water have a pH of around 8, so you need to lower it by CO2 before water change), so a low KH means you can lower your pH level easier. The ideal KH level is around 20 - 100mg/L



P.S. If you are not familliar with the unit of different brand of KH/GH test kit, here is the equations :

1mg/L = 0.056dh

For GH, mg/L = hardness

Dear Ernest,

Much appreciated your patient in explaning me relating to the KH and pH.

What should I concern when I start my tank? I know it's easy to put everthing into the tank in the beginning. I believe it's the most important to maintain the best/idea environment for the plant. Or perhaps, you can introduce me a book for ref.

Tks again.


Quincy