Water Changes!!

Heh! I actually like changing the water. Yeah, it can be time consuming, but I think it's worth it. To try to get my water to match the needs of the tank, I have come up with the following *recipe* for my replacement water. (Remember, my tank is only 12 gallons, so this 4 gallon recipe represents a minimum of 33% water change).

• 4 gallons tap water
  
  
• 0.4 ml of SeaChem Prime (to dechlorinate and condition)
  
  
• a little less than 1/2 teaspoon of SeaChem Equilibrium (to increase total hardness)
  
  
• 1.0 ml of SeaChem Flourish (a comprehensive plant supplement - including trace elements)
  
  
• 2.0 ml of SeaChem Flourish Excel (a source of bioavailable organic carbon)
  
  

I tested the replacement water with my water test kit and I got the following results:

Replacement Water

Test	Results
NH3 (ammonia)	0 mg/L
NO2 (nitrite)	0 mg/L
NO3 (nitrate)	0-5 mg/L
CA (calcium)	3 drops = 3*20 = 60 mg/L
PO4 (phosphate)	0.25 mg/L
FE #1 (toxic iron)	0 mg/L
FE #2 (chelated iron)	0.25 mg/L
GH (general hardness)	8 drops = 8*20 = 160 ppm = 8.96 dH
KH (carbonate hardness)	10 drops = 10*10 = 100 ppm = 5.60 dCH
pH (low test)	7.4 pH