Do you test KH?

[jimenezlee]

Hi all,

Do any of you live in Fairfax County and test for KH? I'd like to have an idea of what values you are seeing.

I live in Vienna and have a 55g planted tank. I put a DIY CO2 system in the tank and noticed my PH dropped to about 6.5

I found a chart that helps calculate the amount of CO2 in the water based on the PH, the base for the chart is knowing your KH.

So if you've tested for KH and live in Fairfax County, please post it.

Thanks!

 

[Tony]

I used to do this before I got lazy with my planted tank. Good way to avoid nuking your tank with CO2. Buffered the water using and old container of cichlid kH additive and used the chart to set my controller to turn off the CO2 solenoid when the pH got below a certain level. Form the curve on the chart, you can maintain pH and CO2 concentration just where you want them by keeping the kH at a certain level.

If you are doing it low-tech, then I would recommend getting a test kit and buffering as well to make sure that the pH stays at acceptable levels. Baking soda will raise pH but also raise kH in the process. $5 spent on a test kit plus a couple bucks for a box of Arm and Hammer is a better solution than nuking a tank full of fish with CO2 (I've done it... really nice fish too).

I guess it all depends on what type of fish you are keeping in the tank. I had rainbows which were cool with super hard water, so it worked out fine. For fish demanding softer water, it would be more tricky, but doable for all but the most finicky fish.

 

[WendyFish]

I'm in FFX but I haven't tested in awhile. I'll test it later and post.