Just wondering if anyone knew of a way to raise kH without significantly raising pH. i have very soft water that I have been buffering with baking soda. Problem is, my pH is now 8.2 which is a little high for my pleco. Does anyone know of a way to keep the kH above 100 but keep the pH at 7.4 or so?

Thanks!
Bronwyn

I use "Proper pH 7.5", a product for setting the pH.

Is this a buffer or is it a chemical agent? Does it simultaneously raise your kH?

(Thanks for responding so quickly )

I have crushed coral in my filter which keeps the kh buffered and doesn't change my ph much. You can also use crushed oystershell. I have some but haven't tried it yet so I can't say if it changes ph much or not.

What pH do you have straight out of the tap, valkyrie? I have heard that baking soda will max out the pH at 8.2. Where do you get crushed coral?

thanks!

I use crushed coral as well, Banjo, and you can find it in any good fish store. I can get mine in two places, both independent stores, not chains like Petsmart. YOu might have to look around a bit. The price is rather reasonable with 10$ for 15 lbs....

My tap ph is about 7.2, and the ph in my aquarium is 7.2-7.4. I got my crushed coral at petsmart, and crushed oystershell you can buy at farm and ranch stores (its used for feeding to laying hens for calcium, to make the eggshells hard). Rinse the coral or oystershell before you use it because its pretty dusty.

Cool. Thanks guys!

Bronwyn

So it maintains the pH but raises kH? What kH is your tap and what is it after crushed coral is added? How long does it take the coral to make a difference? Do you thing that since my pH is now at 8.2 due to adding baking soda, if I stop with soda and use coral instead and the pH is lowered, will that hurt my fish?

Sorry for the avalanche of questions! I do really appreciate your help

Bronwyn

My tap kh is about 40 ppm, and I like it at 80 minimum, 100-120 preferably. It never goes below 80 with the coral, and its usually around 100. I put it in my filter where there's usually carbon, since I don't use carbon. I'm not sure how fast it raises kh, but if you change small amounts of water gradually you should be just fine. If you're not getting the kh you want add more coral. You don't want your ph to drop too fast as you're switching from baking soda to coral because big ph changes are very stressful for your fish. Gradually changing small amounts of water and closely monitering your ph/kh until its steady will keep stress to a minimum.

Gracias, Valkyrie! So it sounds like coral raises kH without significantly raising pH which is perfect I think I will do some experiments...