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Re: Flourite/Phosguard question



> From: "Rubin, Michael" <mrubin at visa_com>
> Subject: Flourite/Phosguard Question
> 
> lauramark <lauramark at home_com> wrote:
> 
> > Has any body had a problem with the combination
> > of Flourite and Phosguard removing Kh from the
> > water.

	What is Phosguard, and why are you using it?  If it's something
that removes phosphate by ion exchange, then maybe it will remove
bicarbonate as well.

> > I've recently sent up a 90g about 3 weeks
> > ago. It's going through a wet run with Flourite and
> > Phosguard, nothing else. All equipment brand new
> > and rinsed very well. From the tap Kh=4, Gh=7 and
> > Ph=7.2. I tested the water and the Kh was 0, Gh was
> > 5 and Ph 6.7. 
> 
> If you've got a lot of light and no CO2 yet (as is sometimes the case in new
> tanks) your plants will use carbon wherever they can find it.  CO3 has
> carbon in it.  If this is the case your KH will drop like a stone.

	Removal of KH will only happen if you have lots of KH and GH and
little CO2 in the water.  Some plants can take CO2 straight from HCO3-,
and the net reaction becomes:

	Ca++  +  2(HCO3-)  ->  (CO2 to plant) +  CaCO3 (precipitates) + H2O

You certainly can't reduce KH to zero by this method.  


-- 
Paul Sears        Ottawa, Canada