Kh

[lyotim88]

can anybody explain what KH is and the importance of it and how to maintain it etc. i am setting up a Malawi tank and would like everything to be perfect and i keep coming across KH and i know nothing about it. any replies are greatly appreciated- Tim

 

[jonnyf84]

There is quite a lot of info on the web about KH.

In a nut shell KH is a water buffer that effects the stability of PH. A low KH, soft water, will not buffer the water very well and the PH will drop, in Leeds i have a KH of 0.5 and after a week the PH crashes to a point where it stalls the Nitrogen cycle, if this is the case for you then you will need to do weekly water changes and keep a very close eye on things. High KH, hard water, has a high buffering capacity and will hold the PH level very well.

I find KH is as important if not more so than PH, a large, sudden KH change can kill fish quite easily. As long as you test your water regularly and keep up with maintenance then there won't be a problem.

 

[lyotim88]

thanks. dumb me didnt think of googling it lol

 

[dthoffsett]

I was trying to answer you but stupid me I closed the page. I see jonny beat me to it anyways.

Just thought I'd add that there are several ways to raise your KH for Malawi tanks: 1. store bought buffers specifically for African Cichlids (note, this does not include products such as PH up, which cause more problems than they're worth), 2. home made buffer (see here), or 3. Substrate, such as Coral Sand, Aragonite Sand, and Crushed Coral (all of which can be found in the salt water section of most LFS, just avoid live sand), or a cichlid specific substrate (I think eco complete puts one out), and 4. Decor, stuff such as limestone, sea shells, or dead coral.

If you haven't already read the articles in the Old World Cichlid section, I'd suggest taking a look. This site is also a wealth of information.

 

[jonnyf84]

The Eco-Complete, which is made by Caribsea, will not buffer water, it is nutrient packed and will even help with cycling, great stuff - but not as a water buffer. Avoid baking soda where possible, its a quick fix and can go wrong just as quickly.

 

[dthoffsett]

The Eco-Complete, which is made by Caribsea, will not buffer water, it is nutrient packed and will even help with cycling, great stuff - but not as a water buffer. Avoid baking soda where possible, its a quick fix and can go wrong just as quickly.

Hmm, I used baking soda on my mbuna tank for well over a year with no problems. I just got tired of adding it so switched to aragonite sand. As long as you are closely monitoring your water, it works well.

As for the substrate I was thinking of, there is indeed an Eco-Complete African Cichlid gravel and sand. And because it uses crushed coral as part of the gravel/sand it does buffer PH.
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[jonnyf84]

haha, point proved I'm not huge on my cichlids

I agree but unless you do keep a very close eye on it then things can go very wrong, very quickly. It can prove quite difficult when doing water changes to get the exact amounts to buff your new water to the exact level of the existing tank water, especially as PH reagents arent exact, a small instant change is all it takes and for a newbie i wouldn't recommend it, that is just my opinion though.

 

[dthoffsett]

I agree but unless you do keep a very close eye on it then things can go very wrong, very quickly. It can prove quite difficult when doing water changes to get the exact amounts to buff your new water to the exact level of the existing tank water, especially as PH reagents arent exact, a small instant change is all it takes and for a newbie i wouldn't recommend it, that is just my opinion though.

Touché

 

[drobbyb]

Filtering through crushed coral (or aragonite etc) will give you a nice slow buffering action. Slow enough for your fish to acclimate to it properly. Although baking soda can be useful, it will result in a quick KH (and pH) raise and unless you know exactly what you are doing, I would avoid it. That being said, I have used it with great success in the past. IMO a calcium based substrate or a bag of crushed coral in the filter will yeild better results (plus it's less work and provides lots of surface area for your bacteria.) If you opt for the bag in the filter, make sure that you "shift" the contents of the bag around with each waterchange.

Hope that helps!