how to raise KH

[kenneth_kpe]

i went around the stores in one mall here and only found KH plus made by tetra and it also raises the PH, is this normal ? i have a low kh of around 2 and i think its making my PH wild !!! ( c02 diy injection ) so i wanna stabilize it, is this the key ? i mean am i making the right move ? : ) tnx

 

[The-Wolf]

Taken from an earlier post of mine.
kH. This is an extent of the, temporary, hardness of water. This is derived mainly from carbonate and bicarbonate ions and directly reflects the buffering capacity of the water. It can be removed by boiling the water. (This is why lime-scale builds up on heater elements.)

Some ways to raise kH.
Aerate the water, driving off the carbon dioxide (CO²), add a commercially available product to increase buffering capacity or add NaHCO3 (baking soda) Note; 5ml (1 teaspoon) of baking soda added to 50 litres of water can raise the kH by approx 4 OdH without effecting the pH greatly.

see post here

HTH.

 

[kenneth_kpe]

oic, so do you advice that i should raise my KH ? will the baking soda method affect my fishes ?? just wanna make sure would the addition of the baking soda as a KH raising buffer affect my test results when i test for PH And KH to determine c02 ?

 

[Bangin]

The only affect baking soda will have is raising your kh and slightly raising your ph (depending on the amount of baking soda). I've used this method several times with no problems at all. I just typed that in another thread.

You need to raise the kh. There are several methods for doing that. Some people used crush coral and others use baking soda.

 

[konrad05]

Oh I guess I should have posted here instead

Yes, be careful with the KH plus and other chemicals, algae loves phosphate

 

[kenneth_kpe]

i guess i wont use the KH plus because its not natural, so lets say my KH is 2 and i want to raise it to around 5 ? is that a nice number so i have a 15 gal tank approx 56 liters. i should add 3/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda to raise my KH to around 5 ya ?

is there a special baking soda that i should be using ? is there any way that i can do this wrong ? heheheh just wanna make sure

 

[kenneth_kpe]

also is there a special way to add baking soda ? like mix it first with warm water then pour it into the tank or should i just place it in the tank like creamer into cofee and stir the tank with a giant spoon haha kiddin

 

[The-Wolf]

Kenneth
yes add 3/4 of a teaspoon
no there is only one kind of baking soda, normally used for cooking.
yes you should mix it first with some tank water, then add it to your tank.

 

[kenneth_kpe]

ok thanks im gonna try it tonight hope i dont do something wrong

 

[Discomafia]

do tell us how it works out alright...