Post by carlrs on Jan 2, 2007 23:12:48 GMT -5
Many aquarists overlook the need for calcium, electrolytes, magnesium and the effect of a proper KH (Carbonate hardness) in their freshwater aquarium. KH is basically the buffering capacity of your aquarium, a Kh above 80 ppm helps prevent sudden drops in ph (You can convert dH [German hardness] ppm by multiplying your dH by 17.9). This is especially important with livebearers, goldfish, African cichlids, brackish and many other freshwater fish. The production of Nitrates (nitric acid) will slowly reduce your ph, but a proper KH will keep a more stable ph. This is important to note, if your KH is low and your ph has been dropping, a large water change (don't get me wrong, water changes are VERY important) can cause stress on your fish, or even kill them.
Another consideration of KH is that you can generally safely add the buffers (both freshwater and saltwater) that effect KH without sudden changes in chemistry (unless your KH is under 80 ppm already), unlike a direct ph or GH change. For this reason you do not always have to check your KH before adding buffers such as Wonder shells.
Baking Soda (Sodium Bi-Carbonate HCO3-), is often used for KH, Sodium Bi-Carbonate will buffer at 8.0 to 8.2. They are very good at buffering at that pH. Just a little carbonate will absorb free H+ ions, and this causes alkalinity (which is the lack of H+ ions). To stop the carbonate ions from consuming too much H+ and to keep a pH of 7.0 we need to restrict the amount of Baking Soda used, as it is always looking for H+ ions to consume. This is why I prefer using Calcium based products, Wonder Shells being my first choice, aragonite my second.
Aragonite is good for pH/kH control in livebearer and African cichlids aquariums, but I do not recommend it for soft water or general aquaria. Aragonite is good at stabilizing a higher kH of around 240 ppm or more, but does not respond to changes rapidly enough at lower kH levels, nor does it add the electrolytes and calcium at levels needed by fish such as discus.
Back to baking soda, this is an old stand by method based on the fact that baking soda does raise pH and kH, the problem is there is much new research to show that calcium, magnesium, electrolytes and Redox play a more important role in aquatic chemistry than just pH or basic kH alone. Unfortunately the aquatics hobby is full of aquarist (especially in forums or uninformed LFS) that regurgitate this old information without checking the facts.
A proper KH can also have a positive effect on the aquarium Redox Potential, which recent studies have shown to be more important to fish and other animal health than pH. Proper electrolyte balance contributes to the Redox reduction potential of water, maintaining a more stable water environment, better clarity and the excess electrons attach themselves to free radicals, improving disease resistance.
FACTS ABOUT ELECTROLYTES AND CALCIUM;
* All fish require calcium and electrolytes, including discus, bettas, tetras and other soft water fish. In fact the lack of electrolytes and calcium is a major problem for poor health in bettas and discus.
* It is possible to have adequate calcium and electrolytes without raising pH to a harmful level for discus, bettas and other fish that generally prefer low pH water (many discus breeders in LA keep there discus pH higher than in the wild anyway).
FOR MY FULL ARTICLE, please follow this link:
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html
Carl
Another consideration of KH is that you can generally safely add the buffers (both freshwater and saltwater) that effect KH without sudden changes in chemistry (unless your KH is under 80 ppm already), unlike a direct ph or GH change. For this reason you do not always have to check your KH before adding buffers such as Wonder shells.
Baking Soda (Sodium Bi-Carbonate HCO3-), is often used for KH, Sodium Bi-Carbonate will buffer at 8.0 to 8.2. They are very good at buffering at that pH. Just a little carbonate will absorb free H+ ions, and this causes alkalinity (which is the lack of H+ ions). To stop the carbonate ions from consuming too much H+ and to keep a pH of 7.0 we need to restrict the amount of Baking Soda used, as it is always looking for H+ ions to consume. This is why I prefer using Calcium based products, Wonder Shells being my first choice, aragonite my second.
Aragonite is good for pH/kH control in livebearer and African cichlids aquariums, but I do not recommend it for soft water or general aquaria. Aragonite is good at stabilizing a higher kH of around 240 ppm or more, but does not respond to changes rapidly enough at lower kH levels, nor does it add the electrolytes and calcium at levels needed by fish such as discus.
Back to baking soda, this is an old stand by method based on the fact that baking soda does raise pH and kH, the problem is there is much new research to show that calcium, magnesium, electrolytes and Redox play a more important role in aquatic chemistry than just pH or basic kH alone. Unfortunately the aquatics hobby is full of aquarist (especially in forums or uninformed LFS) that regurgitate this old information without checking the facts.
A proper KH can also have a positive effect on the aquarium Redox Potential, which recent studies have shown to be more important to fish and other animal health than pH. Proper electrolyte balance contributes to the Redox reduction potential of water, maintaining a more stable water environment, better clarity and the excess electrons attach themselves to free radicals, improving disease resistance.
FACTS ABOUT ELECTROLYTES AND CALCIUM;
* All fish require calcium and electrolytes, including discus, bettas, tetras and other soft water fish. In fact the lack of electrolytes and calcium is a major problem for poor health in bettas and discus.
* It is possible to have adequate calcium and electrolytes without raising pH to a harmful level for discus, bettas and other fish that generally prefer low pH water (many discus breeders in LA keep there discus pH higher than in the wild anyway).
FOR MY FULL ARTICLE, please follow this link:
www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html
Carl
