co2 and kh question

[fabsroman]

its def easy. i have a 55 and 1 tablespoon adjusts my tank by about 1 dkh. i was just looking for another method. i failed.

do i really have to worry about my kh too much with a ph controller?

Yes, you have to worry about your kh with a ph controller. I have been running one on my 120 gallon system for 4 years and everything revolves around the ph setting on the controller and the kh value. I just put one on my 29 and another on my 20. They make life a lot simpler.

For 120 gallons - 2.5 teaspoons of baking soda raises the KH by 1 degree
For 29 gallons - 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda raises the KH by 1 degree.
For 20 gallons - 1/3 teaspoon of baking soda raises the KH by 1 degree.

Those aren't exact amounts, but they work for me because I keep my ph at 7.2 which allows me a lot of wiggle room.


Now, imagine having your ph monitor, which controls the CO2, set at 6.5 and then having a KH of 8.0. Look that up on the chart and you will see that you will have a lot of dead fish. Your plants will be really happy though.

 

[timwag2001]

weill what if i have a kh of one or less. do i have to have some kh?

 

[fabsroman]

If you can keep it at 1.0 and adjust the ph controller accordingly, then it will be fine. However, there is a lot less room for error with a kh of 1.0. I would probably go with a 4.0 kh in the tank if I didn't have snails. Ultimately, you need to look at the inhabitants of the tank, determine what ph they like, shoot for that ph, and then add the right amount of kh to make your plants happy. If you have plants that are ph sensitive, then hopefully their ph requirements are the same as your livestock.