Alkalinity

[destalee79]

I am new to the fish world, and I do want to say first that this forum has helped me ALOT!!! As a new tank owner I think I have had everything go wrong possible I think I am finally past the new tank syndrome issues, and the ick issues, oh and last but not least the green tank(algae) problems. My tank is crystal clear fish seem to be healthy and happy, however everytime I do a water test my alkalinity is low 40-80, the ph, nitites, nitrates, and softness are all great just the low alkalinity. What am I doing to make this low or better how do I make it right?? I have a 55 gallon tank it houses 2 Plecos 1 Gourami 1 Swordtail 1 Molly 2 Rainbow Platies, 1 Blue Platy, and 1 Rosy Barb, I do plan on getting more to go along with my singles so they arent lonely or mean, I just want the water to be good before I do this. The temp is about 80 degrees. Thank you in advance

 

[destalee79]

I am new to the fish world, and I do want to say first that this forum has helped me ALOT!!! As a new tank owner I think I have had everything go wrong possible I think I am finally past the new tank syndrome issues, and the ick issues, oh and last but not least the green tank(algae) problems. My tank is crystal clear fish seem to be healthy and happy, however everytime I do a water test my alkalinity is low 40-80, the ph, nitites, nitrates, and softness are all great just the low alkalinity. What am I doing to make this low or better how do I make it right?? I have a 55 gallon tank it houses 2 Plecos 1 Gourami 1 Swordtail 1 Molly 2 Rainbow Platies, 1 Blue Platy, and 1 Rosy Barb, I do plan on getting more to go along with my singles so they arent lonely or mean, I just want the water to be good before I do this. The temp is about 80 degrees. Thank you in advance

Oops forgot theres a Bala Shark in there too. Also I do not have any live plants.

 

[Torrean]

rocks
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=55806

sand
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=141592

water quality
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=7443

more water quality
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=59467

 

[destalee79]

Thank you for the links Torrean. I read all of the stuff about water conditions but still confused because according to what I read there your alkalinity is based on your PH... My PH is good its right about a 7 but my alkalinity is low. Is this something that will change in time that I shouldnt mess with?

 

[Phantom Thief]

Isn't alkalinity directly related to pH? A pH above 7.0 is alkaline, below that is acidic. So if you want to increase the alkalinity, you're looking to increase the pH.

P.T.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

This comes from FINS

Buffering Capacity (KH, Alkalinity)
Buffering capacity refers to water's ability to keep the pH stable as acids or bases are added. pH and buffering capacity are intertwined with one another; although one might think that adding equal volumes of an acid and neutral water would result in a pH halfway in between, this rarely happens in practice. If the water has sufficient buffering capacity, the buffering capacity can absorb and neutralize the added acid without significantly changing the pH. Conceptually, a buffer acts somewhat like a large sponge. As more acid is added, the ``sponge'' absorbs the acid without changing the pH much. The ``sponge's'' capacity is limited however; once the buffering capacity is used up, the pH changes more rapidly as acids are added.
Buffering has both positive and negative consequences. On the plus side, the nitrogen cycle produces nitric acid (nitrate). Without buffering, your tank's pH would drop over time (a bad thing). With sufficient buffering, the pH stays stable (a good thing). On the negative side, hard tap water often almost always has a large buffering capacity. If the pH of the water is too high for your fish, the buffering capacity makes it difficult to lower the pH to a more appropriate value. Naive attempts to change the pH of water usually fail because buffering effects are ignored.

In freshwater aquariums, most of water's buffering capacity is due to carbonates and bicarbonates. Thus, the terms ``carbonate hardness'' (KH), ``alkalinity'' and ``buffering capacity'' are used interchangeably. Although technically not the same things, they are equivalent in practice in the context of fishkeeping. Note: the term ``alkalinity'' should not be confused with the term ``alkaline''. Alkalinity refers to buffering, while alkaline refers to a solution that is a base (i.e., pH > 7).

How much buffering does your tank need? Most aquarium buffering capacity test kits actually measure KH. The larger the KH, the more resistant to pH changes your water will be. A tank's KH should be high enough to prevent large pH swings in your tank over time. If your KH is below roughly 4.5 dH, you should pay special attention to your tank's pH (e.g, test weekly, until you get a feel for how stable the pH is). This is ESPECIALLY important if you neglect to do frequent partial water changes. In particular, the nitrogen cycle creates a tendency for an established tank's pH to decrease over time. The exact amount of pH change depends on the quantity and rate of nitrates produced, as well as the KH. If your pH drops more than roughly two tenths of a point over a month, you should consider increasing the KH or performing partial water changes more frequently. KH doesn't affect fish directly, so there is no need to match fish species to a particular KH.