Once again, this is for my own records...
1 hour after adding the ammonia & bicarb.
Ammonia: 4ppm (I don't have a 5ppm reading on my card, so it could be possibly be at 5ppm...its definitely not 8ppm though!)
Nitrate: 0.25ppm
pH: 7.8
So, all is good for tonight....
And can it be confirmed for me, that now that I'm adding bicarbonate of soda to raise my pH, does this mean for the duration of my fishless cycle, I do not need to do water changes like I did yesterday???
Or will I still need to do large water changes too?
No, you're right Laz, using the baking soda (bicarb) is just a more powerful way of raising KH than water changes during your fishless cycle. I often suggest starting out with perhaps 1 teaspoon per 50L of water as a starting point and then seeing what that does for helping the pH to hold high enough. If the pH is still slipping down pretty fast, then just add still more baking soda, gradually increasing the amount.
I'm not at all surprised you didn't find a freshwater KH kit waiting at your LFS. They are sort of "semi-rare." Sometimes you find them at really good independent stores but most often you just have to order them off the internet. Its not a difficult test technically, so most any brand should be ok. I use the TetraTest KH kit but the API KH/GH kit is also good.
So what does having a KH kit buy you? Well, in practical terms, you are "flying a little blind" when you alter KH and only measure it via pH tests, because pH is only changed in a secondary way by bicarb. With a KH test, you can follow the KH level directly and know ahead of time that when the KH drops, meaning the buffering is running out, the pH drop will soon follow. Not only does this help you have better timing for adding more baking soda, but it also kind of teaches you this stuff, which is fun! If you really want to get into it you can be reading some of the chemistry on wikipedia as you go along!
By the way, I agree completely with OM47's post above. Think of the whole baking soda thing as just for fishless cycling (even though technically its true what he says that it can be used with fish if done carefully) and just plan on stopping its use at the time of "the big water change before fish." Then after fish you will hopefully be able to handle your soft water via the good water changes you'll want to be doing to clean your gravel weekly. Your KH kit will help you measure how much KH you've regained from the water change. Because cycling will be over, there will be less downward pressure on KH and pH at that time. But if the water changes still can't do it, then "crushed coral in a mesh bag in the filter" will be the new method of choice, rather than baking soda.
By the way, you're doing great. Don't ever let the water chemistry stuff bother you, just keep going along and it will all seem more and more simple over time.
~~waterdrop~~
) so god knows what else it floating around in there!
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