baking soda for ph, kh and gh??

[Paroon Shark]

i am setting up a new aquarium and i want to get my kh gh and ph up because im getting africans. i am wondering if i can use baking soda to get it up and when it is use crushed coral to keep it there. if so i know they say 1 tbs of baking soda to every 30 gs or sumthin?? does any1 know exactly how much i put in and often i do it?
thanks for any help

 

[pl*co]

I've never used baking soda, but I have used pieces of coral and shells to accomplish that task.

 

[Karnaaj]

You want to use a substrate that will do the buffering for you. Crushed coral has been mentioned, aragonite is another. You'll be able to maintain stability better that way.

 

[oztun]

Yes crush coral will be more stable as it is a long term approach. Baking soda is for immediate changes done to water you are about to add to the aquarium. Best thing to do is buy the test kits and experiment with it. We can't give exact answers because everyone's tap water is different, and there are so many factors that affect the numbers.