hard water
Water containing high concentrations of mineral salts.
Used in 45 profiles
Results for “hard water”
Ichthyological terms, not general ones.
temporary hardness
Refers to the portion of hardness in a water body arising from the presence of dissolved calcium hydrogencarbonate and magnesium hydrogencarbonate. These become less soluble as temperature increases so are removed when water is boiled, for example. Temporary hardness is sometimes referred to as, but is not equivalent to, carbonate hardness.
Used in 1 profile
alkalinity
Measure of the buffering capacity of a given water body, i.e. its capacity to neutralize acids and bases thereby maintaining a fairly stable pH. Water containing compounds, such as bicarbonates, carbonates, and hydroxides has a stronger such capacity and is referred to as hard water, while water lacking or deficient in them is termed soft water. Soft water aquaria tend to be susceptible to pH crashes if not maintained correctly.
Used in 6 profiles
carbonate hardness
Measure of the alkalinity of water as dictated by the presence of bicarbonate and carbonate ions. Usually expressed as parts per million, milligrams per litre, or degrees (dKH) of which 1 dKH corresponds to 17.848 ppm. Sometimes used a synonym for, but not equivalent to, temporary hardness.
Used in 65 profiles
total dissolved solids
Measure of the total concentration of both organic and inorganic, microscopic particles suspended in a given liquid. Usually applied only to freshwater systems and measured using a conductivity or total dissolved solids meter with results expressed in units of mg per unit volume of water (e.g., mg/L) or parts per million (ppm). Soft water with low pH generally has low levels of total dissolved solids whereas harder water with higher pH tends to contain correspondingly increased concentrations. Often abbreviated to TDS.
Used in 2 profiles
general hardness
Measure of the overall concentration of calcium, magnesium and other ions in a water sample with values usually quoted in units of degrees (dGH), of which 1 dGH corresponds to 17.848 ppm. Also referred to as total or permanent hardness.
Used in 59 profiles
KH
Commonest unit of measurement for carbonate hardness used in aquaria, and an abbreviation of the German term 'Karbonathärte'. 1 degree KH corresponds to a litre of water containing approximately 17.848 milligrams of calcium carbonate in solution.
Used in 4 profiles