If you are an aquarium owner then you know the importance of maintaining the ideal water conditions in the aquarium is important for the well-being of your fish. Out of the many factors, one major aspect is General Hardness or GH level.
GH measures the hardness and softness of water which refers to the concentration of essential minerals dissolved in the water. If the mineral content is high the water will be hard, if it is low then water is soft.
While a balanced GH is vital for many aquatic species, a high GH reading can pose challenges and raise questions for aquarium enthusiasts.
Sometimes, the GH levels can become high and this can pose a threat to your fish and plants.
In this article, we will explore the causes of high GH levels in your aquarium and provide you with ways to bring them to a balanced level.
What Causes GH to Rise in an Aquarium?
As GH measures the levels of minerals dissolved in the water. To be specific, it measures the levels of calcium and magnesium ions in the water. Therefore, if you have a high GH in your aquarium, then it means that the calcium levels are on the higher end.
A high GH suggests that there are a large number of dissolved calcium ions in the water column.
This can happen when the minerals such as calcium and magnesium are left behind after the aquarium water evaporates.
How to Lower GH in an Aquarium?
Having a higher GH or hard water is not good if you have fishes that cannot tolerate hard water. Therefore, your only option is to lower the GH in your aquarium.
There are some ways you can resort to when lowering GH in the aquarium. Let’s see what they are:
1. Peat Moss
Peat Moss is one of the ways through which you can lower the GH of your aquarium. It can soften your water and all you need to do is add it to your filter. As the water flows through the filter, the peat moss will trap the excess calcium and magnesium in the water.
Then you have to remove the peat moss from the filter, this way some minerals are removed from the water column.
But Peat Moss is not always effective and also releases tannins. It might not always bring you the desired result.
Moreover, Peat Moss along with lowering GH will lower KH and pH as well. Therefore, Peat Moss might not always be the best choice to lower GH in the aquarium.
2. Adding Reverse Osmosis Water
Another way of lowering GH in your aquarium is to use Reverse Osmosis water. Reverse Osmosis water is the purest form of water, as it is free of minerals, salts, and any kind of impurities.
Moreover, the GH level of this water is 0. So after you run water through an osmosis device and obtain the pure water, you can either fill the aquarium with the water or use the water to bring the GH level of tap water into the desired amount.
Therefore, if the GH level of your aquarium is high, then you can remove all the water and use the reverse osmosis water to fill the aquarium.
But you must mineralize the water with remineralizers and bring the GH of the water to the desired level.
Otherwise, you can use it to bring the GH level of the tap water to the optimum levels. Or you can perform water changes with the reverse osmosis water.
As it is pure water and has no trace of minerals, adding it will bring down the GH levels but keep testing while doing so.
3. Distilled Water
Distilled water is similar to reverse osmosis water. Distillation is a process in which water is turned into steam and the steam is then turned to water which is collected in a different container.
This water is known as distilled water and is pure and free of impurities, and has a GH of zero.
Using it is also similar to Osmosis water. You can either remineralize it or add it to tap water to lower the GH of the water.
Does GH Affect fish?
GH is essentially the level of minerals in an aquarium and has a significant effect on the fish’s life.
Fishes absorb the minerals that are essential for their healthy survival. Therefore, GH helps in the biological functions of the fish and allows them to have a perfect and healthy life.
Is high GH bad for plants?
Usually, GH levels do not affect plants. GH levels are irrelevant to plants and whether it is high or low doesn’t matter to plants.
But if the KH levels are high to the point it causes pH fluctuations, then it becomes troublesome for plants.
Is high GH bad for fish?
High GH is overall bad for an aquarium as it can leave white crystal-like substances in the panels of the aquarium. But in the case of fishes, a high GH generally affects the new fishes in the tank. As the existing fish in the tank will be used to the hard water conditions, the new fish are not acclimated to it.
Therefore, if the GH level of your water is high and you introduce a new fish to the tank, then the fish will die shortly due to osmotic shock.
So, therefore, if you want to add a new fish either lower the GH levels of your aquarium or follow the drip acclimation method.
Conclusion
Maintaining optimal water parameters is a crucial process that demands attention and care.
Sometimes the GH levels can rise in your aquarium and it might not cause too much harm but it is best to lower it to optimal levels.
As responsible aquarium keepers, monitoring GH regularly and tailoring it to suit the needs of your specific aquatic community ensures the well-being of your underwater companions.
