Water Care for Planted Aquariums

Most urban tap water carries 0.2 to 2ppm of chlorine and chloramines - enough to kill waterborne disease, and enough to harm fish and destroy the beneficial bacteria a tank depends on. Tap water can also carry heavy metals, such as copper leached from old piping. APT PURE removes chlorine and chloramines instantly and detoxifies heavy metals, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, at 1ml per 60L.

Yes, and this is the point of remineralisation. Caridina and neocaridina shrimp need calcium and magnesium, which acidic softwater lacks - yet acidic softwater is what most aquatic plants prefer. APT SKY raises GH without touching KH, pH or your fertiliser's NPK ratio, so shrimp thrive in the conditions the plants also want, and hardwater and softwater species can be kept in one tank. Conventional GH boosters interfere with all three.

APT SKY leaves KH and pH unchanged: choose it for tetras and rare softwater plants. APT SKYPLUS raises KH moderately to around 2 dKH and buffers pH to 7.2 to 7.6: choose it for guppies, mollies and snails. Both suit shrimp, and both require soft or RO water to begin with.

Because tank stability is biological, not chemical. A healthy system needs more than nitrifying bacteria; it needs organisms that break down plant and animal detritus too. APT Balance supplies both, in dry powder form, and is built for the low-pH conditions modern aquasoils create, where conventional liquid bacteria strains struggle. Add monthly, or after a reset, a filter clean, or the introduction of new livestock.