query for you

do you follow the gh and kh of fish or do you just mix them ? not sure if this is the same for marine

Well - I try to follow what the books say (or net guides) BUT

if my LFS has something that theoretically csant be kept in my water - I tend to hold off and monitor theur stock for a while and ask where the source of the stock is - if its locally bred (as is the case for my rainbow fish) I throw caution to the wind

It depends on the fish - if its something generally delicate (and usually expensive) then I dont gamble

Well I am probably a bad example because I have never measured either the kh or gh . having said that though I do have just the bog standard community tank and not one of the fancy/expensive fish types so perhaps the need isnt quite so strong.

it's intresting alot of people dont take gh and kh into the equation yet others do

it's difficult in most speices now due the breeding cycle for most lfs which tend not to be wild caught (mine any way)

also different opinions on this as well some say fish will tolerate any ph or kh/gh where as others (about the same fish) wont say it has to be a cirtain way

what are your veiws ?

do you need to keep the fishes at a specific level or are they adaptable like most pets

Well, there are some fish that are known to need specific water conditions - rams cichlids etc.

Mary wrote a little bit on this, showing how ph, gh, kh all tie in together

https://tropicalfishfanatics.forumotion.com/cycling-and-water-chemistry-f70/kh-gh-avoiding-a-ph-crash-t1074.htm

but is it more important to match the fish or match the lfs setup

ie if yours is a gh of 20 and the shops is a gh of 100

what difference would that make ?

which brings me to the next question

if most fish nowadays are bred within the home or comercially then what would the ideal parameters be better to match

the same as the fish have lived with all their life or the orginal wild fish ?

also i have read that the parameters are not so looked at in the comercial side its more about hormones than their prefered parameters

I think its human arrogance that lets us believe we can lob in a fish or two in any old tank and theyll be ok.

The lake african cichlids are a good example of where im going and thats basically evolution has determined which water qualities and chemical brew a given fish is able to handle.

Some species are very very particular and I feel if you must keepo them, one has a duty of care to cater for their needs, on the other hand - some (actually quite a few) have a broad distribution in the wild and are thus able to thrive in a wide variety of conditions.

As Diana said - many of the jo avergae communtiy fish are fine in pretty much most of the water types we could throw at them.

However - i said it before and i'll say it again - there is a huge difference between survive and thrive - id persoanlly like my fish (and any animal in my care) to thrive.

I think youll find its mainly those who keep real plants inthe their tanks to a reasonable degree that are concerned and thus measure KH GH

i have hard water thats why i decided to start a cichlid setup - my water is just right for them - where as my son how lives a mile away has soft water so he can't have cichlids
without have to add - additives to his tank - i think all and everything depends on the area you live in - and the time you have to give your stock.




dekker

I Only check Nitrate/RIte.
and Amonia on my 2
the Marine tank has always been low ph...
and was told to leave it be as messing with chemicals to change ph
can make things worse.