Question On Kh And Gh...

[supersuzie]

the water in my part of the world comes from reservoirs and is always very soft. our KH readings are barely 3 [sup]o[/sup] dH and the GH is zero. i added some of that weird looking white calcium carbonite rock that the lfs reccommended. i put in one fist size lump (in 60l tank) about a month ago and have had no change in the readings. has it been in long enough to make a difference yet and have i put enough in? our pH is usually 7.2 - 7.4.

thank you!

 

[thegnu]

hi,
i would have expected to see a lower pH than that. it could cause the pH to drop sharply so you are right to be a bit concerned. i would use some ro right to remineralize it edit; other stone that contain calcium carbonate include
Limestone,
calcite,
aragonite,
chalk,
marble

 

[supersuzie]

cool, thanks. i wouldn't be too worried but i read that fish and plants need some degree of GH for cell function etc, so i thought i'd ask here as i always get good advice from here. is it ro right widely available? who makes it?
would it help if i crushed a bit of the rock or will that mess with the pH too much?
i should really ask my boyfriend...he's a chemistry graduate...but i like to find things out myself!
thanks gnu!

 

[thegnu]

its made by an american company called Kent. its quite expensive to rely on all the while. keep up with the crushed rock also coral sand and broken sea shells are good. keep it in tied up stockings and after 24 hours test the waters GH. any where between 8-15 dGH is good. i use ro right because i use ro water for my discus and apistogrammas. i also use sphagnum peat moss because i want my water soft and acidic and i can use less ro right

 

[WILDER]

http/www.drhelm.com/aquarium/chemistry.html