High alkalinity please help!

Ok so I did a full water change so I could move my aquarium (a 75 gallon) And replaced the water with clean rain water. However, our rain water here is a little acidic, so I put in some neutral regulator powder. I finally got my ph to neutral, but the powder some how made my water very high in alkalinity. What do I do?

 

Not use the powder

 

What are you using to test this? Can you give definitive numbers for KH/GH/pH?

Usually high alkalinity is good, but I'm not sure how you could possibly test for that. The best we can do is bicarbonates/carbonates (KH) which is only a part of total alkalinity. Did it make your water too hard?

 

What are you using to test this? Can you give definitive numbers for KH/GH/pH?

Usually high alkalinity is good, but I'm not sure how you could possibly test for that. The best we can do is bicarbonates/carbonates (KH) which is only a part of total alkalinity. Did it make your water too hard?

I used quick test strips that test for ph, alkalinity, nitrite, hardness, and nitrate.



My ph is in the neutral zone, my alkalinity is well into the high range, my hardness is very soft, nitrite is in caution, and nitrate is in safe.

 

Test strips are generally unreliable. You should probably use liquid tests like API.

I'm not sure what you mean by "caution" in nitrites. We use numbers to decipher our water quality. Nitrites should be 0ppm (maybe your tank isn't cycled?). Any trace of nitrites would affect your fish...

In any case, alkalinity just means there's a strong buffer zone so your pH won't crash. Don't worry about that! You shouldn't use the powder though. Try coral! Here's a page you should check out to help with your pH: https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/understanding-ph-kh-gh-in-home-aqauriums.113548/

Your hardness is soft, but I'm not sure since you don't have a numerical value to it. This matters if you have certain fish that can only survive in hardwater.

 

Test strips are generally unreliable. You should probably use liquid tests like API.

I'm not sure what you mean by "caution" in nitrites. We use numbers to decipher our water quality. Nitrites should be 0ppm (maybe your tank isn't cycled?). Any trace of nitrites would affect your fish...

In any case, alkalinity just means there's a strong buffer zone so your pH won't crash. Don't worry about that! You shouldn't use the powder though. Try coral! Here's a page you should check out to help with your pH: https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/understanding-ph-kh-gh-in-home-aqauriums.113548/

Your hardness is soft, but I'm not sure since you don't have a numerical value to it. This matters if you have certain fish that can only survive in hardwater.

My test strips don't have numbers but it's in caution because I haven't gotten my filter set up yet, I'm in the process of building an in-tank sump system.

 

I wouldn't keep fish in a tank with no filter, even for a day...

 

I wouldn't keep fish in a tank with no filter, even for a day...

Oh me neither lol! I said I was working on an in-tank sump, but forgot to mention that I already do have two OTB filters... SORRY!