Limestone?

[ptd434]

I just found some cool pieces of limestone lying around in my garage. Would there be any harm in placing this into a planted aquarium? Would it raise the pH, hardness etc..?

 

[jm1212]

pH and hardness would probably skyrocket, depending on your pH/GH/KH now.

limestone dissolves fairly quickly in freshwater

 

[evelyn80]

i wouldnt use limestone. as jm said water chemistry would go crazy and it melts/dissovles really fast!

 

[jpappy789]

Depends on your levels now but it will raise pH, GH, KH...basically your total dissolved solids level will increase. There is a limit though.

 

[bushwhacker]

if your putting it in a african tank it might help other wise i wouldnt

 

[Notophthalmus]

As said, the effect on your water depends on your current water conditions; very soft or acidic water will be strongly affected, while moderately hard, neutral or basic water will be less affected. It also depends on the limestone. For example, Indiana limestone is much less soluble than Tennessee limestone. You can try a bucket test to see what it does to your water.

What's in the tank now, besides plants? Most plants do fine with hard water, and many fish do as well; they just don't appreciate sudden changes. I keep limestone in many of my tanks with no issues.