Cheap way to raise GH?

njparton

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I'm aware that baking soda can be used to raise the KH of RO water, does anyone know of a cheap way to raise the GH? Additives cost a fortune!

I've been using a mixture of Kent RO Right and Seachem Fresh Trace with good results, but wish to economise if possible.

I believe that buffering RO water with 20% tap water defeats the object of the RO filter, especially when my tap water contains quite high levels of PO4 and NO3...

Any useful suggestions welcome :thumbs:
 
This is a tricky one.

GH refers to the dissolved concentration of magnesium and calcium ions

To increase it you could add limestone (this will also increase kH which in turn will increase pH) or add calcium carbonate, which will raise gH and kH.

The problem is, its hard to change pH, kH or gH on their own, without affecting one of the others in some way.
 
K-Holed said:
This is a tricky one.

GH refers to the dissolved concentration of magnesium and calcium ions

To increase it you could add limestone (this will also increase kH which in turn will increase pH) or add calcium carbonate, which will raise gH and kH.

The problem is, its hard to change pH, kH or gH on their own, without affecting one of the others in some way.
I've got some limestone chips in the bottom of one of my external filters and at the bottom of the container my RO water goes in to, but i'm not sure they have all that much affect.

I tested some RO water and then put some limestone chips in for a week and the difference wasn't noticeable (with off the shelf pH and KH/GH test kits).

Oh well, just need to find a source of Kent RO Right in south Manchester then...
 
K-Holed said:
Are you in South Manchester? If so, why are you using RO water?
Altrincham.

Because our tapwater contains high levels of nitrates and phosphates.

I've measured up to 70 ppm NO3 and the PO4 is above the range of my Hagen test kit!

My fish went through a period (4-6 months and 3 lost fish) of persistent fin & body rot which I attributed to high background levels of NO3, which whilst not poisonous in low concs, can lead to detrimental health effects over time.

After switching to RO water my fish have waved goodbye to all bad health effects, my angels spawn once every 3 weeks and algea blooms are a thing of the past.

I'll eventually get a 250-300L bow fronted corner tank and start keeping discus...

I'm also overstocked so water quality is critical!
 
Fair enough :) I must admit I've never tested the phosphate or nitrate content of the water in Manchester but I know that it's got great Ph and GH.
 
I use the combination of baking soda and epsom salt (MgSO4, if I remember correctly) to buffer my cichlid tank. My natural tap water is at pH=7.2, GH=3, KH=2. With the right amount of chemicals, I typically get pH=8.2, GH=10, KH=10.
 
yhbae said:
I use the combination of baking soda and epsom salt (MgSO4, if I remember correctly) to buffer my cichlid tank. My natural tap water is at pH=7.2, GH=3, KH=2. With the right amount of chemicals, I typically get pH=8.2, GH=10, KH=10.
How does salt affect your catfish though?
 
gixer said:
there is no way to raise gh (that i know of) without raising the kh which in turn will raise ph :/
That doesn't really matter as I have to raise all 3 anyway: my RO water is usually pH4 with almost no GH or KH.
 

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