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How do i find out what my KH is.

Do you use your tap water then?
No, I need Low GH/KH water, so I have a 200GPD RO System to do my water changes, and add a remineralizer to get my KH where I want it (~1dKH)
You are only 15mins drive from me. So our water must be nearly the same.
It's very close, I think you get more of your supply from the Forest of Bowland, whereas we get more of ours from Haweswater ... And then you have summer :banghead::banghead::banghead::rage::rage::rage:. FoB has lower TDS overall and KH, and pH especially, than our supply.
 
I have found a salifert test kit on amazon for 12 pound does sound about right for the price? We're did you get yours from?
Yeah something like that, I got my last one along with a couple of other things from Charterhouse IIRC.
Does the water report from untied utilities not tell you your KH level?
No, The problem with KH is that it is not a statutory requirement to report it, so I think UU take one value throughout the year, then report it as the min, average, and max value "as CACO3" which is bloody useless!! when ideally you would like it as ppm, dKH, or mill-equivilents. Can you tell I am less than enamoured with UU :D
 
Yeah something like that, I got my last one along with a couple of other things from Charterhouse IIRC.

No, The problem with KH is that it is not a statutory requirement to report it, so I think UU take one value throughout the year, then report it as the min, average, and max value "as CACO3" which is bloody useless!! when ideally you would like it as ppm, dKH, or mill-equivilents. Can you tell I am less than enamoured with UU :D
Yes haha, thanks for the reply I appreciate it. Just trying to get my head bk round it all. I shut my tanks down 2 years ago as we was moving house and never got round to doing them again. So I have forgot alot of the little knowledge I did know lol. I am now on setting my tank bk up. Just waiting for the plants and soil to be delivered then I will get cracking. I mainly want shrimps and tetras In my tank.
 
Yes haha, thanks for the reply I appreciate it. Just trying to get my head bk round it all. I shut my tanks down 2 years ago as we was moving house and never got round to doing them again. So I have forgot alot of the little knowledge I did know lol. I am now on setting my tank bk up. Just waiting for the plants and soil to be delivered then I will get cracking. I mainly want shrimps and tetras In my tank.

For most tetras (captive-bred etc) and cherry shrimp I really wouldn't worry about KH ( or most tests TBH), caradina shrimp are different though if that's what you are planning.
 
Hi all,
then report it as the min, average, and max value "as CACO3" which is bloody useless!!
You can convert the CaCO3 value to ppm, dGH and dKH without any issue.
Perfect, you can convert the 137 mg/L CaCO3 value to dKH using: 1dKH = 17.86 mg/L CaCO3 and 137/17.86 = 7.67 dKH.

The derivation of dKH etc is in Larry Frank's very useful <"Water Hardness"> article at the Krib.

I just went and got my water print out from Wessex Water. They now don't even put in the min. and max. values, just the mean value.
Fiveways_hardness.png

cheers Darrel
 
You can convert the CaCO3 value to ppm, dGH and dKH without any issue.
We have found in brewing "circles" that that is not necessarily true ... I've lost track of the brewing forum where this was discussed in nauseatingly infinite detail :D . If you have a reliable test kit, and the salifert one is such, then it's better to measure it before brewing, and adjusting your brewing liquor, especially if your water source is variable
 
For most tetras (captive-bred etc) and cherry shrimp I really wouldn't worry about KH ( or most tests TBH), caradina shrimp are different though if that's what you are planning.
Crystal shrimp, red cherry and amino shrimp. Galaxy rasbora aswel. You can look to deep into the water parameters I think.
 
Hi all,
We have found in brewing "circles" that that is not necessarily true ...
They should be true for the values from the water company, there isn't any source of ambiguity, it is just maths.

For my water:
(ppm CaCO3) / (ppm CaCO3 in 1 dGH) = 337.5 / 17.86 = 18.9 dGH (and 18.9 dKH)

The derivations are all in <"Larry Franks "the Krib" article">.

You could potentially have other sources of hardness than just CaCO3, for both dGH and dKH, and I think you are right that the <"water from Burton upon Trent"> would be an exception, because the water contains additional evaporite minerals.

Most hard water in the UK is drawn from limestone aquifers which we laid in <"deep oceanic basins"> and these haven't subsequently undergone dolomitization.

cheers Darrel
 
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API KH test kits are fairly reliable from my experience. always test correct kh when making my nahco3 solutions, for dropcheckers.
Hi Folks,

The API KH test kit is what I use most of the time. But, the default resolution is just 1dKH. In other words, the measurements are, say, 2dKH, 3dKH, 4dKH, etc. For much better resolution (0.1dKH), I use the Tropic Marin KH Pro test kit. I use the latter for making up drop checker solution.

JPC
 
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