Raising pH Mechanically

at any rate... if you have at least 2* kh you're most likely fine with your current ph. what was your ph before you started dosing? if it was over 7 you're likely close to gassing your fish anyway and you may want to throttle back on your co2 instead of altering water chemistry.


That's my other problem... My API master kit doesnt have a test for KH/GH. I have looked all over the stores around here and noone sells this indivdually.
 
is your kit calibrated? Do you know that it is reading correctly?

Also what is the pH of your tapwater? At 30 ppm CO2 your pH will only drop by 1 and if you are using DIY CO2 it is unlikely that you are even at that level (do you have a drop checker?). So if it is below a pH 6 that means your tapwater is below 7...unless you have driftwood in there as well I suppose.
 
is your kit calibrated? Do you know that it is reading correctly?

Also what is the pH of your tapwater? At 30 ppm CO2 your pH will only drop by 1 and if you are using DIY CO2 it is unlikely that you are even at that level (do you have a drop checker?). So if it is below a pH 6 that means your tapwater is below 7...unless you have driftwood in there as well I suppose.


If you mean calibrated as far as SHAKING it then yes I shake it and add 3 drops to the tube.

"Also what is the pH of your tapwater?" Refer to pg 1.
"(do you have a drop checker?)" Refer to pg 1.
"unless you have driftwood in there" again pg 1.

:hitting:
 
That's my other problem... My API master kit doesnt have a test for KH/GH. I have looked all over the stores around here and noone sells this indivdually.
that's why i use the red sea freshwater deluxe kit as well as the api kit. some of the tests are a bit trickier but it has almost everything a hobbyist would need to know for freshwater. it also contains a handy spoon that's quite useful for dosing smaller tanks.
 
No, calibration means have you tested it on a solution of known pH to make sure that your test kit is functioning properly. A lot of kits should not be trusted straight out of the box without testing it first.

Also an answer of "7-7.8 I don't know I never tested it" really doesn't help much :)
Your starting pH of your tapwater is kind of important to know ESPECIALLY if you plan on screwing around with it. Measure the pH of your water and then let it sit out for 24 hours and then measure it again to see how much it changed.

This will give you an idea of how much your CO2 is affecting the pH. The end value after 24 hours in comparison to the tapwater will then tell you how much the driftwood is affecting your pH.
 
Lots of places sell the KH/GH kit online. As for where to go for cheap I do not know but I'd check places like Big Al's, etc.

Price isnt the issue, I just wanted to find some that I didnt have to wait on shipping for.
 
Your starting pH of your tapwater is kind of important to know ESPECIALLY if you plan on screwing around with it.

This will give you an idea of how much your CO2 is affecting the pH. The end value after 24 hours in comparison to the tapwater will then tell you how much the driftwood is affecting your pH.

I will check it tonight... if I remember correctly (7.5) when I first set the tank up, my issue was LOWERING the pH because it was so high. This was before canister filtration and Co2 were installed.
 
Oh boy! Raising/lowering yoru PH causes all sorts of issues. Agreed

What is your pH out of the tap? 7.0-7.8 not real sure, never tested it
What is your pH after it sits out for a day to 'degas'? I don't do this.

What kind of co2 are you doing? DIY or Pressurized? DIY
What is your average pH drop when you are dosing co2? I have a monitor but it has never changed colors really, however I noticed it has gone from dark green to a very light green,

Do you know that dosing co2 lowers yoru pH? Yes I do.


I was told some time ago I could place some crushed coral in one of my canister baskets but I didnt have a canister then...now I do. Is this something I can do?

fill a cup with water.
Test that water to find its pH.
Wait 24 hours, test pH again...
Give us all the results.

very light green as in almost yellow? If yes, you have too much co2 which could possibly be your problem.

ps. 7.5 is not high. my pH is 8.2 and i consider that almost high. 9.5 is high. I dont mess with my 8.2 ph water and i keep "7 pH fish" perfectly fine.
 
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