KH and GH questions.

[orthofish]

I have a test kit for my fish tanks that mesures KH(carbonate hardness) and GH(general hardness.)
Is KH similar or the same as TA??
Is GH similar or the same as TH(total hardness?)

 

[Guest]

kH is TA, for all practical purposes. Your kH test is actually testing TA (total alkalinity) and not just carbonate alkalinity. In a swimming pool the only other real contributor to the TA that might need to be taken into account is the CYA but only if the levels are very high, otherwise it's contribution to TA is negligible. In an aquarium the main contributor to the alkainity will be bicarbonates so kH and TA are,for all practical purposes, the same.
GH is TH (the sum of calcium and magnesium hardness) and is a useless test for swimming pools. We are interested in Calcium hardness only (which is a common test in saltwater and reef aquaria.)

 

[orthofish]

Thanks Waterbear. That's what I thought.
From here on out I will use TA, not KH.
My tap water TA is only 3. That is somewhere between 0-50 ppm.
My tap pH is 6.6 but outgasses to 7-7.2.
So I will need to raise both of these with a fiberglass and SWG pool, yes??????

The reason I'm asking is they are going to commence digging Saturday
Trying to decide what I need to have on hand when I begin filling.

Guess I better start by ordering my TF100 test kit :-D