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GH KH which one more important?
Hi Bob,
don't know if you'll read this (old thread), but I've started increasing the KH.. hope to get it up to at least 3 or may be 4... and then use pH down to regulate the pH a bit (CO2 is in the future for more semi-permanent solution.. but I just have to get over the activation energy to deal with the yeast mess :-P yeah. i know about the phosphate-based pH adjusters. will avoid it... (got a small bottle of pH down. if that works eventually, I'll buy a bigger bottle...) Wasn't sure if pH Stable was baking soda or some other carbonate source, but thought I'd pay extra just to see... so far, added 1.5tsp of the darn thing in my 37G and the kH has not budged!!! (stuck between 1 and 2). I guess the difference is when I put 1 drop, the color is darker than it was before.. so it's easier to see the color change (before I had to look from the top of the tube to discern color change). I guess KH is going up.. but SLOOOWLY and I must have started out really low. pH did seem to creep up a bit, but still within the normal fluctuation level.. I'm letting it settle 24hrs before I add more pH Stable or change pH... and no. the test kit does work. I checked.. if I add a speckle of the stuff directly into the test tube, the color changes instantly.. so.. I guess the tank is super-deficient of carbonates. I'm trying to think of a definitive way to discern whether Kent's pH stable is sodium bicarbonate or not... I guess I can check the ultimate pH of the solution and compare.. (baking soda is about 8.2 or something, i think..) that may be the easiest thing to check... sorry.. I'm just thinking out loud. (if so, what a waste of money.. oh well).. linda "Robert Flory" wrote in message gy.com... Mid posted "linda mar" wrote in message ... SNIP I don't have the means to read CO2 yet.. I was contemplating doing DIY thing until I lost all 4 otos in a span of 2 days and went into "coronor's investigation" mode.. (and was told by one LFS that they are quite sensitive to pH changes.. and this is what is prompting all my interest) Sure you do, assuming you've not used phosphate buffers. In the normal tank which is bicarbonate buffered the relationship between pH, CO2 and kH is a direct one. add CO2, pH will drop. add bicarbonate pH will rise. See http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm Just measure the pH and kH and plug the number in. Or get out the slide rule and use the included formula. I've got the page in my favorites for use when I want to check CO2 levels. assuming nothing else is wrong with the tank other than the pH drifts (I have few bloated danios that I'm not sure what to make of them), I intend to start adding nitrates since the tank reads zero... my fish aren't polluting the tank fast enough for the plants! (what a concept) I have to add nitrates to a 29 gallon platy tank that has about double the inch/gallon fish load. But then the tank is overgrown with cabomba, elodea/egeria and java moss. Ofcourse I trim about 6" a week, wonder what I'd have to do if I had more than 20 watts of light. I tossed a half a bucket of cabomba out from my 55 today, it is a super low light tank. i haven't gotten green water, but I do have haze.. seems to come and go depending on how much sunlight it gets during the sunset hours.. (like, if I forget to close the drapes etc., then the water seems more hazy). I guess I'll try some experiment (adding baking soda, and also ph down to see how they correlate to pH change..) before I start dumping stuff into the main tank! but seems like upping the KH and stabilizing pH a bit might be desirable for the fish.. then i'll tend to the plants :-) linda Be careful that you don't use phosphate based buffers. I think pH down is just acid, probably sulfuric. baking soda will give you a pretty quick rise in pH. Bob |
#17
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GH KH which one more important?
Increasing the kH is simple to do with baking soda. Use 1/4 teaspoon per 50
gal a day untill the result is found. decreasing pH with a phosphate buffer or weak acid is NOT appropriate with planted tanks. The correct way to buffer the solution is using a pH controller to pH 6.8 with a pressurized canister. This can be expensive initially (250 usd ) but is maintainance free. I messed with yeast and sugar initially but got varied results. Weak acids will drive the alkalinity out of solution as co2, and buffer will grow an interesting mess. "linda mar" wrote in message ... Hi Bob, don't know if you'll read this (old thread), but I've started increasing the KH.. hope to get it up to at least 3 or may be 4... and then use pH down to regulate the pH a bit (CO2 is in the future for more semi-permanent solution.. but I just have to get over the activation energy to deal with the yeast mess :-P yeah. i know about the phosphate-based pH adjusters. will avoid it... (got a small bottle of pH down. if that works eventually, I'll buy a bigger bottle...) Wasn't sure if pH Stable was baking soda or some other carbonate source, but thought I'd pay extra just to see... so far, added 1.5tsp of the darn thing in my 37G and the kH has not budged!!! (stuck between 1 and 2). I guess the difference is when I put 1 drop, the color is darker than it was before.. so it's easier to see the color change (before I had to look from the top of the tube to discern color change). I guess KH is going up.. but SLOOOWLY and I must have started out really low. pH did seem to creep up a bit, but still within the normal fluctuation level.. I'm letting it settle 24hrs before I add more pH Stable or change pH... and no. the test kit does work. I checked.. if I add a speckle of the stuff directly into the test tube, the color changes instantly.. so.. I guess the tank is super-deficient of carbonates. I'm trying to think of a definitive way to discern whether Kent's pH stable is sodium bicarbonate or not... I guess I can check the ultimate pH of the solution and compare.. (baking soda is about 8.2 or something, i think..) that may be the easiest thing to check... sorry.. I'm just thinking out loud. (if so, what a waste of money.. oh well).. linda "Robert Flory" wrote in message gy.com... Mid posted "linda mar" wrote in message ... SNIP I don't have the means to read CO2 yet.. I was contemplating doing DIY thing until I lost all 4 otos in a span of 2 days and went into "coronor's investigation" mode.. (and was told by one LFS that they are quite sensitive to pH changes.. and this is what is prompting all my interest) Sure you do, assuming you've not used phosphate buffers. In the normal tank which is bicarbonate buffered the relationship between pH, CO2 and kH is a direct one. add CO2, pH will drop. add bicarbonate pH will rise. See http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm Just measure the pH and kH and plug the number in. Or get out the slide rule and use the included formula. I've got the page in my favorites for use when I want to check CO2 levels. assuming nothing else is wrong with the tank other than the pH drifts (I have few bloated danios that I'm not sure what to make of them), I intend to start adding nitrates since the tank reads zero... my fish aren't polluting the tank fast enough for the plants! (what a concept) I have to add nitrates to a 29 gallon platy tank that has about double the inch/gallon fish load. But then the tank is overgrown with cabomba, elodea/egeria and java moss. Ofcourse I trim about 6" a week, wonder what I'd have to do if I had more than 20 watts of light. I tossed a half a bucket of cabomba out from my 55 today, it is a super low light tank. i haven't gotten green water, but I do have haze.. seems to come and go depending on how much sunlight it gets during the sunset hours.. (like, if I forget to close the drapes etc., then the water seems more hazy). I guess I'll try some experiment (adding baking soda, and also ph down to see how they correlate to pH change..) before I start dumping stuff into the main tank! but seems like upping the KH and stabilizing pH a bit might be desirable for the fish.. then i'll tend to the plants :-) linda Be careful that you don't use phosphate based buffers. I think pH down is just acid, probably sulfuric. baking soda will give you a pretty quick rise in pH. Bob |
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