[PhatRam32]

Tested out my water and noticed my KH was rather high. Wanted everyone's opinions on my results:

GH = 45ppm
KH = 240 ppm
PH = 7.2
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = .05 ppm

I dunno.. the results for GH and KH I thought were directly related. Anyways, wanted to see if this is something I should be concerned with or not. Many thanks in advance!

 

[PhatRam32]

Not sure if this has anything to do with it but I recently installed a water softener and noticed the readings changed as a result.

 

[Hallyx]

What were the readings before you installed the softener?

 

[BWG]

The water softener is the cause of your high KH. Typically how a water softener works is that it exchanges magnesium, calcium, and other hard water ions with sodium or potassium ions.

 

[Agent13]

I suspect you are using a test strip? I don't think those reading add up to well and I'm doubting they are accurate.

 

[Sakura8]

240ppm works out to 13.4 dKH (what you'd get if you tested using the drops). Your GH would be somewhere between 1 and 3 dGH using the drops.

I'm also curious to know what your results were prior to the water softener.

I also have a water softener. My GH is between 0-1 and my KH is 15. My pH in both water that goes through the water softener and hose water is 7.8 pH.

If you don't have the results from prior, try testing water that comes out of the hose since that doesn't go through a water softener.

 

[Quantum]

yes, bwg is correct that the softener is the cause of the disparate GH and KH readings, I would just reword it a bit to "the water softener is the cause of your low GH" reading - for the reason mentioned (Ca and Mg replaced with Na), the source water likely has similar GH and KH numbers, the softener lowers the GH without affecting the KH

 

[Agent13]

But when I say they don't add up.. the thing I'm confused about is not the GH or KH(well that KH is african cichlid high but whatever). It's the close the PH given the KH is at that level strikes me as odd...and the 5 things tested here are exactly whats on the 5 in 1 test strips... making me doubly doubt the accuracy of what we are seeing.

 

[Hallyx]

Good eye, A13. Unless it's a heavily-planted tank, I'm not sure a nitrate reading of <1.0ppm could be accurate

How do plants do in that effectively demineralized water, anyway?