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PH and KH - How do I fix?
Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:42 pm
by GlockFu
My tap water is at about 8+ PH and my KH is 0.
What would you do to lower the PH and raise the KH?
My method to safe guard the water from a PH crash was to put crushed coral in my filter, but by doing this, it keeps my PH really high. I was thinking about adding some wood to try and counter balance this but dont know if that would really work or not.
Is there a better option? What other method should I use?
Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 5:53 pm
by TwoTankAmin
Try reducing the amount of coral in the filter. I found that to get the kh up but not move the pH notably it took about 1/2 cup for a 50 gal tank.
However, the following should be borne in mind:
Hardening Your Water (Raising GH and/or KH)
The following measurements are approximate; use a test kit to verify you've achieved the intended results. Note that if your water is extremely soft to begin with (1 degree KH or less), you may get a drastic change in pH as the buffer is added.
To raise both GH and KH simultaneously, add calcium carbonate (CaCO3). 1/2 teaspoon per 100 liters of water will increase both the KH and GH by about 1-2 dH. Alternatively, add some sea shells, coral, limestone, marble chips, etc. to your filter.
To raise the KH without raising the GH, add sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), commonly known as baking soda. 1/2 teaspoon per 100 Liters raises the KH by about 1 dH. Sodium bicarbonate drives the pH towards an equilibrium value of 8.2.
From
http://fins.actwin.com/aquariafaq.html
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:23 pm
by GlockFu
Thanks! Thats exactly the type of info I needed. I'm going to crack open my filter and see exactly how much crushed coral I've got in there.