Soft Water...Problem?

tomm10

tomm10

Prodigal Son
Oct 15, 2003
751
0
0
Oxford, MA
www.tomwalkerportraits.com
I'm wondering if I should try to buffer my water since its very soft at the new place.

I tested it yesterday and it shows a GH and KH of 40mg/l. What's funny is that the pH is high at 8.0.

I keep a pretty well planted tank that I fertilized with a capful of Flourish with every water change. There is no driftwood in the tank and a playsand substrate so there's really nothing to affect the buffer greatly.

My concern is that with such soft water I will susceptible to a pH crash but I'm also worried that trying to add crushed coral or the like with drive my pH even higher.

Right now all my tank's citizens seem to be doing okay and have been for a month in the new locale but I want to make sure I'm not watching a disaster waiting to happen.

Any thoughts?

Tom
 
Sorry to dredge up an old post but I was surpised it didn't get any responses. I figured I would give it a bump to see if it was a case of bad timing or just that you don't love me anymore :sad

:D

Tom
 
Originally posted by RTR
Even after the water has been in the tank for some period of days the tank is still pH 8 and KH 40ppm?

Are you aerating strongly?
Click to expand...

That test was a day after a 10-15% change. I didn't think to test it again but I will tonight.

It is aerating pretty well. There's a Fluval 204 (choked down to about 80% flow) and a Penguin 125 for filtration which do a pretty good job of disturbing the surface.

The water is also really low in nitrates (under 5) and not a trace of ammonia or nitrites. BTW, its a 29g tank with 7 danios, 6 pygmy cories, 9 shrimp, a clown pleco and now 2 blue rams.
 
You are blowing off all the CO2 generated in the tank from fish and bacteria, so that you are at full atmospheric equilibrium on CO2. That is fairly unusual in tanks, especially planted ones.

Check out:

http://www.sfbaaps.com/reference/table_01.shtml

So that we are on the same page. The KH used there is degrees, not ppm. For your KH 40ppm/17.86 ppm per degree = ~2 1/4 degree, or ~2. That translates into only a fraction of a ppm (~0.6), which in reality would be below atmospheric equilibrium. That is as low as I have seen.

Is you canister return suberse or above the water surface? It the water level high enough to dampen a bit of the HOB return?

The pH is high enough that you are not going to get fast solution from crushed coral or even from aragonite, but I would be uncomfortable myself operating any lower KH than you have. I have no personal experience below KH 3-4. I also would not add any CO2 at that KH.
 
Well, I'm glad I decided not to use the CO2 then :D

The Fluval is indeed below the suface by a couple of inches and I try my best to keep the water level above the return of the HOB.

I'm pretty sure my Fluval is capable of keeping the tank clean on its own so perhaps I should remove the Penguin for a week or two and check my water again before trying to add anything?

Tom
 
That is judgement call based on load and feeding and debris/particulates in the water - so it pretty well has to be individual for a particular tank.

I am a filter nut, multi-filter all my tanks.
 
Originally posted by RTR
That is judgement call based on load and feeding and debris/particulates in the water - so it pretty well has to be individual for a particular tank.

I am a filter nut, multi-filter all my tanks.
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks a ton RTR! I'll just swich the penguin over to the new puffer tank (which will appreciate the instant bacteria colony). That way if the tank starts getting dirty or showing high nitrates I can just make the quick switch back.

It beats adding buffer material right off the bat ;)

Tom
 
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