How Important Is A Gh/kh Test Kit?

[Allegra]

HI all,

Do I need GH/KH API test kit when I have just goldfish, a Betta and tetra? I'm happy to buy one and test it but just wan't sure if it's for certain sensitive fish or salt water or something?

 

[Skavatar]

if your pH is holding stable, then not really. if its changing a lot then you might have low KH, so then you'll want to see what the KH levels are and treat accordingly.

 

[kallililly1973]

Also if you decide to do shrimp down the road you’ll want to know those readings to make sure the shrimp will thrive. Also seeing the test kit is only about $10 it would be a good idea to have it on hand Incase any “mysteries “ should happen to your tank. The more water parameter info the better

 

[JessicaSwanlake]

I think it's nice to have on hand, and it's good to have a baseline for your water source's GH and KH (that's why I got mine). Then if you are having a tank emergency you won't have to go try to chase one down to try to ID/eliminate the issues.
I think it would also be beneficial to help notice the somewhat nebulous symptoms of Old Tank Syndrome as your tank(s) age.

 

[Allegra]

Thankyou all, I will buy one (they are $25 here, everything is so expensive on this island as I complained about on another post) I just won't use it as routine unless I have any ph issues or any mysteries. At the moment my PH has been fine and stable. I'm still testing one tank with master kit almost daily as I am not convinced it is cycled. The other is cycled so I only test it before a water change now.

 

[goldface]

In most cases, not that important. In other words, if you have to ask, then you probably don't. My advice is don't invent new problems to "resolve." Seriously, a lot of times I avoid water parameter threads, because I get tired of hearing about solving made-up problems.

 

[86 ssinit]

I’m with Scarface. If your ph is stable and your fish are fine your good. Weekly water changes will keep it that way. Yes if your going to try shrimp and your having problems you will want to check your gh and kh. Thou my shrimp are fine without checking .

 

[Archaea]

KH and pH are inter-related. If KH falls below about 4 degrees hardness, there is a risk of what is known as a 'pH crash'. This is when the pH takes a nose-dive and drops to a very low level. If it falls much below pH6, this can kill off the beneficial bacteria in your setup. And ammonia/nitrite is likely to be a problem. So, knowing the water KH is very wise. GH is a measure of water hardness. Some fish prefer soft water, others prefer hard water. You can get this information for each fish species from many places on the internet. I use Seriously Fish.

 

[aoiumi]

KH and pH are inter-related. If KH falls below about 4 degrees hardness, there is a risk of what is known as a 'pH crash'. This is when the pH takes a nose-dive and drops to a very low level. If it falls much below pH6, this can kill off the beneficial bacteria in your setup. And ammonia/nitrite is likely to be a problem. So, knowing the water KH is very wise. GH is a measure of water hardness. Some fish prefer soft water, others prefer hard water. You can get this information for each fish species from many places on the internet. I use Seriously Fish.

Knowing Kh is important, but more of a one-and-done thing. The liquid ones due expire, so unless you're going to be using it a lot (either in the tank or because, like me, you will probably test other things for fun) a smaller test amount (such as strips) will work just to get baselines.

Unless you're having to convert water from extremely high or low Gh and Kh, or you're having Ph problems, you probably won't need them.

 

[Atomicfish]

I just got a small API test it it has 25 test strips in it. It has 5 tests on one thing. I think it’s. Important to have one on hand you never know if your water is bad with out one.

 

[tjander]

Test strips are a good quick check. I agree with the other posts for your situation today don’t waste the 25 on a test kit.