# GH booster with PPS Pro



## elkhunter (May 24, 2012)

Should I use a GH booster for my planted tank. I will go test my GH but my KH was 5.32 in my aquarium but my tap water is only 2.8. I'm assuming that if I have that low of KH I probably have low GH.

What are your thoughts and if so how do I dose it right now I have my fertilizers being dosed automatically with dosing pump. I could add the GH booster to the third tank if it should be added and not mixed with the other ferts. 

My PH is 6.7 kept there with a PH controller.


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

While often the GH and KH are fairly close, this is not always the case. 
Test the tap water, and test the tank right before a water change. 
If the GH is low in the tap water, and even lower in the tank, then the plants, fish and microorganisms are using the Ca and Mg that we measure as GH. Probably be a good idea to add a little GH booster with each water change. 
Some GH boosters also have potassium (K). Read the label. If this is more than you want to add (PPS is a lower fertilizer program than EI) you might want to:

a) Reduce the amount of potassium in the fertilizer you are dosing.
b) Find or make a GH booster without K. This is fairly easy- If I remember correctly, Calcium chloride is a source of Ca and Epsom salt is a source of Mg. 

Some GH boosters may have other ingredients. Read the label. You certainly do not want one that includes sodium chloride.


----------



## elkhunter (May 24, 2012)

Ok thanks for the info yesterday I was going to test my water GH but I had API test kit and I added drop for ever it seemed and the color never changed. They say it should change from orange to green but to begin with it was almost yellow so I bought a new test kit from nutra so I'm waiting on that but if my other test was working and I just didn't keep going it was well over 15 degrees but like I said the color wasn't right from beginning and it is fairly old so I decided to get new one. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

API GH test gets old pretty fast. When it gets old it does not change color.


----------



## Maryland Guppy (Mar 5, 2015)

PPS Pro solutions recipes include MgSo4.

If not included it can be added to the macro solution?


----------



## PAXpress (Sep 22, 2011)

elkhunter said:


> Ok thanks for the info yesterday I was going to test my water GH but I had API test kit and I added drop for ever it seemed and the color never changed. They say it should change from orange to green but to begin with it was almost yellow so I bought a new test kit from nutra so I'm waiting on that but if my other test was working and I just didn't keep going it was well over 15 degrees but like I said the color wasn't right from beginning and it is fairly old so I decided to get new one.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I had this same issue. Maybe diana k is correct that it has gone bad probably have had mine a few years.


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

You can add Epsom salt to either macros or micros, or just dose a bit when you do a water change.


----------



## elkhunter (May 24, 2012)

I replaced my API GH/KH test with a salifert GH/KH test and its WAY more EASY to read than the API. My GH came out for my tank water at 80ppm and my tap water was 60ppm. Would you suggest adding a GH booster?


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

What fish and other livestock are you keeping? 
Here are some rough numbers:

Soft water fish: GH to about 100ppm, or 5 German degrees of hardness is usually OK.

Most community fish, fish bred in captivity for several generations: GH from 60-250 ppm, or 3-15 German degrees of hardness is about the right range for most. (wide range- adaptable fish)

Hard water fish: GH well over 180ppm (10 German degrees of hardness), and about 350ppm (20 degrees) is probably closer to the right value. 

Note: 1 German degree of hardness = 17.9 ppm. I have rounded these values quite a bit. The actual value rarely has to be an exact number, just somewhere in the ballpark. It does need to be stable, not changing more than about 10% with any one water change or dose.

KH should be kept fairly close to the GH. This will usually keep the pH in the right range for the fish.


----------



## elkhunter (May 24, 2012)

I have like 6 neon tetras, 3 black skirts, some other 2-barb like fish but they arnt barbs I dont think or something I dont remember what they are, one long finned zebra danio, 2 glo fish tetra and 2 otos


----------



## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

All of those are hatchery raised fish that came from soft water ancestors. 
I would aim for GH anywhere from 3-15 degrees, and KH about 3-5 degrees. If the pH is not somewhere near neutral (say about 6.5-7.5) then adjust the KH until it is. 
If you are adding CO2 then the pH might be in the mid 6s in the morning when the CO2 is highest, before the plants start using it, then as high as the mid 7s in the afternoon when the photosynthesis is at its peak and just about all the CO2 has been removed.


----------



## elkhunter (May 24, 2012)

When is the proper time to add gh booster is it possible to dose with Ferts with auto doser? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------

