CHoffman

A API test strip kit came with this tank I just bought just for fun I dipped it to see what the reading said. I know these aren't the most accurate but I was just wondering What this meant and what negative effects it can have on my fish..The GH was 180 the highest it measures and the KH was 240 the highest it measures.

Dozey

This doesn't really answer your question but this is the definition.

General Hardness (GH) and Carbonate Hardness (KH)
Water hardness is simply the measure of the amount of dissolved salt minerals present in aquarium water. Hard water contains more dissolved mineral salts than soft water. If you live in an area with soft water... consider yourself very lucky!

General hardness is the measure of the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Carbonate hardness is important to maintaining a stable pH. Most freshwater tropical aquarium fish prefer a KH of 2° to 8°.

Carbonate hardness is the measure of the amount of dissolved carbonate or bicarbonate. Most freshwater tropical aquarium fish are content with a GH of 3° to 10°.

pepetj

I don't trust strip measures of KH and GH. I do use strip tests for screening nitrates and nitrites; one of those is a 5-in-1; when I use that one, usually I obtain quite dissimilar readings in the soft-hard/alkalinity most of the time: they are false readings: I use liquid reagents for KH and GH. My opinion: the strips I have tried for GH and KH are quite unreliable.

Pepe
Santo Domingo

jdhef

It would tend to indicate that your ph is on the higher side, since there are a lot of disolved minerals in the water.

CHoffman

Yup my Ph is very high..But what I was wondering is what effects do the KH and GH have on the fish.