Useful calculator

[zig]

This is just a calculator i found on my travels around the web, some of you may want to bookmark it, perhaps not for yourselves but just to keep on file as the question does come up now and again, if you have a KH below 3 and useing EI it is recommended that you buffer your water with bicarbonate of soda, the calculator is pretty nifty, it works out the amount of soda you need to add to achieve a desired KH, it also works out the subsequent rise in the Ph also.

Buffering capacity and Ph

Today i am going to start buffering my water and useing the calculator, up to now i have'nt done so, but i hope to go get pressurised co2 shortly and will be pushing the co2 levels a lot higher than i achieve now, so the Ph would drop below 6 and that is to low, so i just want to get into the routine of buffering the water, ill go from 1.7 to 2.5 KH today (can only go up .4 Ph at any one time) and add more soda tomorrow to bring me up eventually to around 4KH.

Anyway some of you may find it useful and i just thought id share the link.

 

[houndour]

you going pressurized?!

Is pH6.6 OK for a tank, thats what mine seems to be with pressurized. Have a kH of 5 to 6.

 

[zig]

you going pressurized?!

Is pH6.6 OK for a tank, thats what mine seems to be with pressurized. Have a kH of 5 to 6.

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Soon as i can get it sorted Sam i will go pressurised, but as normal there is a few problems, there is no point in me buying a JBL or Dennerle co2 kit because nobody does the refills over here and i would have to send them to the UK and that would cost to much money, the other alternative is to do a DIY system which is no problem and i have the regulator and needle valve organised, so all i have to do is get a cylinder of co2, easy, well not quite, i cant just buy a co2 cylinder and get it refilled when i want because nobody will do that for me, they all insist i rent the cylinder for 10 euro per month (and even then i have to buy refills) and this obviously is a blatent rip off, but it seems to be standard practice over here, even if i got my hands on an empty cylinder the companies will refuse to refill it for me without this monthly extortion of 10 euro.

So at the moment im a bit stuck and i am refuseing to pay 120 euro per year just to hire the metal cylinder (its nearly 100 quid sterling) so im looking around at the moment to see if i can sus out a different source of co2 but no luck so far.

Anyway to answer your question your KH and Ph is absolutely fine, mine is just to low at 1.7KH if i do go pressurised.

 

[George Farmer]

Nice link zig, I think Iggy01 has very soft water too.

Have you contacted other CO2 refilling sources i.e. fillers of fire extinguishers, pub CO2 cylinders?

Houndour - pH 6.6, KH 5 or 6 gives CO2 37 to 45ppm - generally regarded as too high but known as some to be perfectly fine - especially for battling algae. I would just keep an eye on the fish for odd behavior i.e. acting drowsy.

 

[zig]

Nice link zig, I think Iggy01 has very soft water too.

Have you contacted other CO2 refilling sources i.e. fillers of fire extinguishers, pub CO2 cylinders?

Houndour - pH 6.6, KH 5 or 6 gives CO2 37 to 45ppm - generally regarded as too high but known as some to be perfectly fine - especially for battling algae. I would just keep an eye on the fish for odd behavior i.e. acting drowsy.

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All the refilling sources that i am aware of charge this rent, its widespread practice in the UK as well depending on where you live, so at the moment im just asking around to see if anybody has any ideas on ways around it, i have a contact that works in a hospital and he is seeing if he can organise anything for me as they use co2.

The thing is if i want to set up another tank (which i do) i would have to pay this rent again on another bottle, so it would be a crazy amount of money to pay per year, im sure there is a way around it, i just have'nt found it yet, but ill keep looking and as a very very last resort i will rent a bottle.

 

[houndour]

that is a pain Zig. On the upside by living in Dublin you get to listen to all those sezy irish accents Don't spose you know Ronan do you?!

gf, i've been watching my fish. I have one guppy that spends some time on the surface taking air in I guess, but he's done this all along even with low levels of CO2. The other fish don't do it. The only thing I was concerned about is the shrimp. They are acting wierd by just sitting on the outlet pipe all day and the female has dropped her eggs (So i dont know if this behaviour is because she dropped the eggs or the high co2).

 

[Walt]

I actually buffer my water too...
tap is at 2, so after a few water changes, mine drags down...
I buffer it back up to, and maintain 4 in the tank....

 

[zig]

that is a pain Zig. On the upside by living in Dublin you get to listen to all those sezy irish accents Don't spose you know Ronan do you?!

gf, i've been watching my fish. I have one guppy that spends some time on the surface taking air in I guess, but he's done this all along even with low levels of CO2. The other fish don't do it. The only thing I was concerned about is the shrimp. They are acting wierd by just sitting on the outlet pipe all day and the female has dropped her eggs (So i dont know if this behaviour is because she dropped the eggs or the high co2).

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Haha.......nope dont know Ronan, but often see Adam Clayton from U2 he doesnt live to far away, he lives in a huge mansion at the foot of the Dublin mountains.