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#1
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Remedies for low KH
So, i finally forked out a bunch of dough for a test kit. Figure if
i'm going to really try to keep plants and nice fish, i better have a clue what my water conditions are. I knew already that the tapwater here is very basic, something confirmed by the test kit. For anybody on the Cambridge, MA water system, here's what the water conditions are like lately: pH 8.8 (off the scale) KH 3 dKH GH 7 dKH So, basically (no pun intended), this water is horrible. The surprise was what i measured in my aquarium: pH 6.6 KH 2 dKH GH 7 dKH Wow. I don't know much these differ from typical values when i'm not treating for Ich and leaving the lights off, but obviously the tank needs some alkalinity and that pH is alarmingly low. Problem is that i have more than enough general hardness for plants as it is, and don't want to take the typical approach to raising alkalinity by throwing in some shells and such (Calcium Carbonate - CaCO3), because that will also raise the GH. Has anybody used baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate - NaHCO3) for this purpose? I'm hesitant to use commercial buffers, because they sometimes contain phosphate (which i DON'T want) and probably Mg or Ca as well. I shudder to think what would happen now if i started a CO2 injection system without increasing alkalinity. Pickled fish. Ugh. Cheers |
#2
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Remedies for low KH
Its called out-gassing....let your water sit out for a while, then measure
it....I am in allston, and my water comes out of the tap looking like milk, theres so much gas dissolved in it. Flandry wrote: So, i finally forked out a bunch of dough for a test kit. Figure if i'm going to really try to keep plants and nice fish, i better have a clue what my water conditions are. I knew already that the tapwater here is very basic, something confirmed by the test kit. For anybody on the Cambridge, MA water system, here's what the water conditions are like lately: pH 8.8 (off the scale) KH 3 dKH GH 7 dKH So, basically (no pun intended), this water is horrible. The surprise was what i measured in my aquarium: pH 6.6 KH 2 dKH GH 7 dKH Wow. I don't know much these differ from typical values when i'm not treating for Ich and leaving the lights off, but obviously the tank needs some alkalinity and that pH is alarmingly low. Problem is that i have more than enough general hardness for plants as it is, and don't want to take the typical approach to raising alkalinity by throwing in some shells and such (Calcium Carbonate - CaCO3), because that will also raise the GH. Has anybody used baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate - NaHCO3) for this purpose? I'm hesitant to use commercial buffers, because they sometimes contain phosphate (which i DON'T want) and probably Mg or Ca as well. I shudder to think what would happen now if i started a CO2 injection system without increasing alkalinity. Pickled fish. Ugh. Cheers |
#3
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Remedies for low KH
tank kh=2 isn't terrible but baking soda is cheap, simple and safe way to
raise it to kh=4 which from most accounts is a good place to be. jtm -- Remove NOSPAM for email replies "Flandry" wrote in message om... So, i finally forked out a bunch of dough for a test kit. Figure if i'm going to really try to keep plants and nice fish, i better have a clue what my water conditions are. I knew already that the tapwater here is very basic, something confirmed by the test kit. For anybody on the Cambridge, MA water system, here's what the water conditions are like lately: pH 8.8 (off the scale) KH 3 dKH GH 7 dKH So, basically (no pun intended), this water is horrible. The surprise was what i measured in my aquarium: pH 6.6 KH 2 dKH GH 7 dKH Wow. I don't know much these differ from typical values when i'm not treating for Ich and leaving the lights off, but obviously the tank needs some alkalinity and that pH is alarmingly low. Problem is that i have more than enough general hardness for plants as it is, and don't want to take the typical approach to raising alkalinity by throwing in some shells and such (Calcium Carbonate - CaCO3), because that will also raise the GH. Has anybody used baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate - NaHCO3) for this purpose? I'm hesitant to use commercial buffers, because they sometimes contain phosphate (which i DON'T want) and probably Mg or Ca as well. I shudder to think what would happen now if i started a CO2 injection system without increasing alkalinity. Pickled fish. Ugh. Cheers |
#4
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Remedies for low KH
Flandry wrote:
Has anybody used baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate - NaHCO3) for this purpose? I'm hesitant to use commercial buffers, because they sometimes contain phosphate (which i DON'T want) and probably Mg or Ca as well. I shudder to think what would happen now if i started a CO2 injection system without increasing alkalinity. Pickled fish. Ugh. Many of us use baking soda every week for exactly that purpose. Buy the good stuff-good old Arm & Hammer costs me under $2 per year. |
#6
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Remedies for low KH
I don't like baking soda, either. I know, theoretically, carbonate is
carbonate...but baking soda seems to stress my fish, while calcium carbonate does not. Where did you get CaCO3? Any online suppliers? -- Thank You Dominic http://www.dlink.org/aqua |
#7
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Remedies for low KH
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#8
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Remedies for low KH
Aqua wrote:
Where did you get CaCO3? Any online suppliers? I keep a piece of limestone in my tank to supply that. -- Victor M. Martinez http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv |
#9
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Remedies for low KH
Your pet store may have "Rep-Cal", a finely powdered pure calcium carbonate,
used for a dietary supplement for reptiles. I have begun using this as the amount of sodium from baking soda needed to raise my kH was causing some problems. It's pure CaCO3 and has no additives, unlike any of the health food supplements that I found. I didn't check the hippie store, but I expect that it would be much more expensive than the animal version from the big-pet-store-chain. Lee "Aqua" wrote in message ... I don't like baking soda, either. I know, theoretically, carbonate is carbonate...but baking soda seems to stress my fish, while calcium carbonate does not. Where did you get CaCO3? Any online suppliers? -- Thank You Dominic http://www.dlink.org/aqua |
#10
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Remedies for low KH
What does the low pH do to the snails?
pete LeighMo wrote: pH 8.8 (off the scale) KH 3 dKH GH 7 dKH So, basically (no pun intended), this water is horrible. Why is that horrible? The pH of tapwater should be measured after the water is aerated for 20 minutes, or allowed to sit in a cup overnight. The water in the pipes may have extra CO2, or be CO2-deficient. (The water company sometimes adjusts the pH of the water that way, in order to prevent pipe corrosion.) The surprise was what i measured in my aquarium: pH 6.6 KH 2 dKH GH 7 dKH Sounds normal, if you are injecting CO2. The KH probably dropped a little due to the nitrogen cycle in the tank. It gradually eats up the KH in the tank. (One reason why regular water changes are important.) Problem is that i have more than enough general hardness for plants as it is, and don't want to take the typical approach to raising alkalinity by throwing in some shells and such (Calcium Carbonate - CaCO3), because that will also raise the GH. Don't worry about it. Plants like hard water. I add calcium carbonate regularly to one of my planted tanks. (It's heavily stocked, so it's hard to keep the pH up, even with large weekly water changes.) The fish don't mind the low pH, but the snails do. Leigh http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/ -- -- pete "It is unwise to insult a doughnut be refusing to eat it." |
#11
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Remedies for low KH
"Aqua" wrote in message ...
I don't like baking soda, either. I know, theoretically, carbonate is carbonate...but baking soda seems to stress my fish, while calcium carbonate does not. Where did you get CaCO3? Any online suppliers? Buy finely ground aragonite, reef stores sell it. Get the finest grade they have. Should be pretty cheap. The finer the better since it will dissolve better this way. You can get a chuck of limestone etc also but it'll take a few years to dissolve that. Aragonite has the same composition but a different structure that dissolves a little bit easier than plain old calcite. Often if the KH is low, so is the Ca. Not sure about your black fern. I used baking soda and so have many other folks with Java ferns, I have not seen what you speak of. Might be something else in your tap water. Baking soda does have HCO3 and Na, neither of which should cause a problem with Java fern which is rather salt tolerant. CO3 is the same CO3 is the same CO3, doesn't matter how you get it there. CO3 will simply shift to HCO3 at the pH's/KH's we deal with. Regards, Tom Barr Regards, Tom Barr |
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