mcr
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Post by mcr on Dec 20, 2018 13:17:58 GMT -5
I’ve been reading a lot on buffers and it looks like the answer I’m looking for is I need to figure it out myself by testing since each tank is different. So my question is how often should I test while I’m getting it adjusted? And once I have it dialed in how often should I test on a regular basis? Thanks, Mark
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Post by Carl on Dec 20, 2018 18:02:59 GMT -5
There is no exact numbers here. Generally once per day to once per week (I base this on my own dialing in for customers) Once dialed in, once per week to more likely only once per month is what I found
Carl
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mcr
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Post by mcr on Dec 20, 2018 22:52:39 GMT -5
Okay, Thanks
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Post by kagome on Dec 21, 2018 14:43:47 GMT -5
Just remember, you don't want to make big swings all at once. It's better to change the KH by about 1 dKH (17.887 ppm) in 24 hours. Same goes for GH. Fish can acclimate to a lot over time but big swings mean big stress.
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mcr
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Post by mcr on Jan 15, 2019 0:58:11 GMT -5
OK, so I finally got around to start buffering in my tanks. I started with my 55 gal. The PH is at 6.4 and I didn’t want to raise it to more than 7. I’m more interested in the KH because my water is so soft. I’ve raised the GH to 6 or 7 with wonder shells. The instructions say one tsp for 20 gals a day until desired PH is reached. They make it sound like it’s a gradual process. Since I’ve never used this before I decided to go with one tps for the entire 55gal tank and see what that did. Well 24 hrs later I tested and my KH went up from 1 to 2 dKH but the PH went up to 7.4. I’m certainly glad I didn’t use the recommended dose. The fish seem fine. Is that much of a jump in 24 hrs bad? Is that a normal jump in PH with alkaline buffer? My tap water is 7.4 so something is already lowering the PH. I’m usually 6.4 before a w/c and 6.6 after. I was going to put Aragonite sand in the filter when I cleaned it last time but I forgot. They claim it raises KH. Has anyone ever had success with that? Thanks, Mark
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Jan 15, 2019 12:12:24 GMT -5
OK, so I finally got around to start buffering in my tanks. I started with my 55 gal. The PH is at 6.4 and I didn’t want to raise it to more than 7. I’m more interested in the KH because my water is so soft. I’ve raised the GH to 6 or 7 with wonder shells. The instructions say one tsp for 20 gals a day until desired PH is reached. They make it sound like it’s a gradual process. Since I’ve never used this before I decided to go with one tps for the entire 55gal tank and see what that did. Well 24 hrs later I tested and my KH went up from 1 to 2 dKH but the PH went up to 7.4. I’m certainly glad I didn’t use the recommended dose. The fish seem fine. Is that much of a jump in 24 hrs bad? Is that a normal jump in PH with alkaline buffer? My tap water is 7.4 so something is already lowering the PH. I’m usually 6.4 before a w/c and 6.6 after. I was going to put Aragonite sand in the filter when I cleaned it last time but I forgot. They claim it raises KH. Has anyone ever had success with that? Thanks, Mark Yes it's suppose to be gradual. 2, 4, weeks or even more. The KH being low is allowing the pH to swing from anything that would effect it. I'm not sure what the correlation of how much pH would go up per KH. Now that your at 2 you may want to stick at 2, but since something is driving it down, you may want to come up to 3KH What are your Nitrates? I would keep reading the KH/pH. I believe the dosing will want you to wait another 2 weeks before another dose. It would be some acid that drives the pH down.
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Post by Carl on Jan 15, 2019 13:33:49 GMT -5
The instructions say one tsp for 20 gals a day until desired PH is reached. They make it sound like it’s a gradual process. Since I’ve never used this before I decided to go with one tps for the entire 55gal tank and see what that did. Well 24 hrs later I tested and my KH went up from 1 to 2 dKH but the PH went up to 7.4. I’m certainly glad I didn’t use the recommended dose. The fish seem fine. Is that much of a jump in 24 hrs bad? Is that a normal jump in PH with alkaline buffer? My tap water is 7.4 so something is already lowering the PH. I’m usually 6.4 before a w/c and 6.6 after. This is not unusual based on your circumstances, as you clearly did not have the KH needed to buffer against whatever is dragging down your pH. Once used regularly, additional additions of KH buffer should not cause as much of a swing Aragonite sand is poor to fair KH buffer, but it does indeed help Reference: www.americanaquariumproducts.com/AquariumKH.html#khbuffersCarl
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mcr
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Post by mcr on Jan 16, 2019 1:33:55 GMT -5
So it’s been another 24 hrs and water tests the same. Fish all seem fine. I’ve never had a problem in this tank but since my KH was only 1 I thought I should try and raise it. My nitrates are at 5ppm. They have been up around 30 to 50 in the past but never higher. I recently added matrix so that explains why nitrates are going down. Some of the fish in the tank like it below PH7. I’m thinking I should just let it ride and see where things go. I’ve never tried to change my KH before but last summer it was higher out of the tap so maybe it will go up again this summer. Our water comes from a water shed so not surprised it Changes summer to winter. I don’t know what could be bringing the PH down, I only have one small piece of driftwood and the sand is inert. So I guess at this point if I want to bring the KH up I’ll need to add an acid buffer as well to keep the PH down? Thanks, Mark
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Post by Carl on Jan 16, 2019 10:29:35 GMT -5
You may have to add some acid buffer, which can be beneficial if you keep live plants.
The main idea is to keep a KH of at least 3dKH to prevent sudden swings in pH, but you might find just 2dKHwill be enough. As for your fish and lower pH, what are the fish you are keeping?
Carl
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mcr
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Post by mcr on Jan 16, 2019 10:50:03 GMT -5
The fish are Congo tetras, flame back bleeding heart tetras and purple emperor tetras
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Post by Carl on Jan 18, 2019 9:58:33 GMT -5
The fish are Congo tetras, flame back bleeding heart tetras and purple emperor tetras OK. These are fish I generally aimed for a neutral or lower pH. This said, tried to not chase pH and would keep natural acidifiers in the tank such as Driftwood, peat or pillow moss, yet would still as some buffer just to maintain KH and pH stability Carl
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mcr
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Post by mcr on Jan 18, 2019 21:19:00 GMT -5
I guess I’ll have to move some stuff around to get a bigger piece of driftwood in there and see what that does. Thanks for the help.
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mcr
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Post by mcr on Jan 19, 2019 16:39:04 GMT -5
So I’ve started using the Malawi buffer and Cichlid lake salt for my guppies and will use it for my platies when I get more. The lable on the salt says there is 3.75% sodium or less. Would tiger barbs do ok in the same tank as the platies. One article I read said tiger barbs do best with 1tsp salt per gallon. That seems a bit much and I’ve not found anything else saying to use salt with them. (But it was on the internet so it must be true😁) Thanks, Mark
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Jan 22, 2019 12:47:27 GMT -5
So I’ve started using the Malawi buffer and Cichlid lake salt for my guppies and will use it for my platies when I get more. The lable on the salt says there is 3.75% sodium or less. Would tiger barbs do ok in the same tank as the platies. One article I read said tiger barbs do best with 1tsp salt per gallon. That seems a bit much and I’ve not found anything else saying to use salt with them. (But it was on the internet so it must be true😁) Thanks, Mark They do fine with sodium. Not sodium chloride. My experience with tiger barbs, is when there are in groups of like 5, they can be a little more active. More territorial. When there's just a couple, they hide a lot. So, they would be fine with platies.
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Post by Carl on Jan 23, 2019 12:12:49 GMT -5
So I’ve started using the Malawi buffer and Cichlid lake salt for my guppies and will use it for my platies when I get more. The lable on the salt says there is 3.75% sodium or less. Would tiger barbs do ok in the same tank as the platies. One article I read said tiger barbs do best with 1tsp salt per gallon. That seems a bit much and I’ve not found anything else saying to use salt with them. (But it was on the internet so it must be true😁) Thanks, Mark I would keep Tiger Barbs at one TABLESPOON per 5 gallons at the most, which this product would do if used at 1/2 teaspoon per 10 gallons as directed on the bottle of Cichlid Lake Salt Resource: www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Seachem.html#cichlidFurther Reading: www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2008/03/salt-in-freshwater-aquariums.htmlCarl
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mcr
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Post by mcr on Jan 28, 2019 1:10:22 GMT -5
So I’ve started using the Malawi buffer and Cichlid lake salt for my guppies and will use it for my platies when I get more. The lable on the salt says there is 3.75% sodium or less. Would tiger barbs do ok in the same tank as the platies. One article I read said tiger barbs do best with 1tsp salt per gallon. That seems a bit much and I’ve not found anything else saying to use salt with them. (But it was on the internet so it must be true😁) Thanks, Mark I would keep Tiger Barbs at one TABLESPOON per 5 gallons at the most, which this product would do if used at 1/2 teaspoon per 10 gallons as directed on the bottle of Cichlid Lake Salt Resource: www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Seachem.html#cichlidFurther Reading: www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2008/03/salt-in-freshwater-aquariums.htmlCarl I’m confused. Do tiger barbs need that much salt? I have put 4 tsp of cichlid salt in a 20 gal tank for my guppies to raise the GH to 16. The sodium chloride should Only be 3.75% of those 4 tsp. Correct? I didn’t know if tiger barbs would tolerate any salt is why I was asking. Thanks, Mark
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Post by devonjohnsgard on Jan 29, 2019 13:09:39 GMT -5
That's correct. They don't need it, but can tolerate some. This is a VERY low amount.
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Post by Carl on Jan 29, 2019 13:21:29 GMT -5
That's correct. They don't need it, but can tolerate some. This is a VERY low amount. Yes; SeaChem Cichlid Salt is not 100% salt (NaCl), it has many other elements, so this dosing is much lower than what Tiger Barbs can tolerate in NaCl Carl
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mcr
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Post by mcr on Jan 30, 2019 22:44:43 GMT -5
Thanks, just wanted to make sure I was getting it right.
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