Just tested straight from the tap, API kits, results are:
kH - 15
gH - 0
pH - 7.6
pH high range - 7.4
@jeffkrol,
Thanks, I understand
what kH is referring to. It's impossible for me to tell where the carbonates are coming from, it's also impossible for them to be coming from decor/substrate as the values are straight from my tap, never seen the tank
@MultiTankGuy,
While I'll agree with your statement for the most part, I've toyed around with less than favorable water parameters before, and the whole "6.0-8.2 pH is fine, fish will adjust" is not all applicable in my experience. The farther you stay away from the extremes (mostly talking high 8.0+ pH here) the better off I am with plants and fish. When I was running un-softened, straight tap at my old house, only certain plants could thrive, and many fish never seemed to do well despite being otherwise healthy, they would just wither away with time. Some would do very well, others would die in a week, some would live for years but never seem to truly thrive. I was discussing this with some other forum members with similar pH and water chemistry, and we tended to agree on that aspect...
Plus, my tap has 0 Ca and 0 Mg so plants, shrimp, snails etc. will certainly be deficient unless I play with my chemistry.
@tamsin
There is no way of bypassing the softener, and if so, I would be in the same scenario? I would have to mix mostly RO to a little bit of tap, exactly what I'm doing now.... Larger water changes are getting to be a pain. Space and time are the biggest drawbacks. Unless I set up a float valve system that will shut the RO off when my holding tote is full... But again, space is not a luxury in my home at the moment.
@ Everyone
What I'm really asking is: Is there any drawbacks of a high kH in a planted tank?