Re: rookie still needs help: - (

[Bill Wichers <billw at waveform_net>]

>I have been keeping a fish only aquarium for 3 years now. I have just
>recently added some plants. I have money wart, a radican sword, and a water
>sprite. I also had a foxtail but my fish ate it :- ( Any way my tap water
>ph is around 8.0. I have always used proper ph 7.0 to keep my ph
>stable. I have recently learned this is a phosphate buffer? I have also read
>that it causes algae blooms. witch makes sense because since I added 
>plants and more light I have some unbelievable algae. I just added a home 
>made diy co2
>injector yesterday in hopes that my ph won't jump. What is the best way to 
>keep
>my algae and ph down? Also I have stopped using proper ph 7.0 and have 
>done two 25% water changes without adjusting the ph. Is this the right 
>thing to do? It hasn't effect my ph yet.
>   thanks Matt

You are correct, the ph up/down products are phosphate buffers and you 
probably won't want to use them in a planted tank. pH is also not the most 
important parameter, it doesn't need to be exactly any number -- some swing 
is OK, and it doesn't need to be 7.0 at all. There are fish and plants that 
actually *prefer* a range up around 8.1-8.2 or so. The CO2 will lower your 
pH as it gets going provided you have both sufficient quantities available 
for your tank and an efficient way of dissolving it into the tank water. 
There is a table at http://www.thekrib.com that will tell you what you need 
to know about CO2 and pH, but you're going to need to know the carbonate 
hardness (KH) of your water to use the table.

I suggest you read through some of the information at 
http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/ to help get the basic info you'll need to 
maintain a healthy plant tank. There is a lot of good info there that will 
explain the initial water chemistry goals you need to meet in a planted tank.

         -Bill
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Waveform Technology
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