Low alkalinity

[NatalieRyan]

My 10 gallon tank is all in order now except for my KH. It's sitting at 40 ppm and I'm not sure how to get it up.

Also, can this have an affect on gulping fish. My previous topic I was told to do water changes to get my nitrates to a suitable level. I did, my nitrates are back in order, but the fish are still gulping (uuurgh). Could the low KH have anything to do with it?

 

[lilirose]

Why do you feel it needs to be higher than that? If you are keeping some kind of hard water fish like African Cichlids, you could try using a remineraliser like Seachem Alakline Buffer, but that will also raise your pH, which could be a problem. Most fish will do fine with a KH above 35 or so, in my experience.

Gulping is usually caused by low oxygen or ammonia poisoning, not by low KH.

 

[NatalieRyan]

Why do you feel it needs to be higher than that? If you are keeping some kind of hard water fish like African Cichlids, you could try using a remineraliser like Seachem Alakline Buffer, but that will also raise your pH, which could be a problem. Most fish will do fine with a KH above 35 or so, in my experience.

Gulping is usually caused by low oxygen or ammonia poisoning, not by low KH.

On my test kit it says 40 ppm isn't ideal, so I figured it would be a problem. I've also tested for ammonia and my tank is clear. I also have an aerator going. So I'm just not sure what to do.

 

[lilirose]

I looked at your old post- if you still have a 10 gallon tank stocked with goldfish, a common pleco, and a loach, then overstocking is probably the problem. Chasing the ideal numbers according to your test kit really won't help. You need a bigger tank or different fish.

 

[NatalieRyan]

I looked at your old post- if you still have a 10 gallon tank stocked with goldfish, a common pleco, and a loach, then overstocking is probably the problem. Chasing the ideal numbers according to your test kit really won't help. You need a bigger tank or different fish.

Yeah, I've been trying to work into a bigger tank, but I feel like rehoming is the better option at the moment. Thank you!