[Prev][Next][Index]

Off-topic water chemistry post



Well, this post is off-topic, I suppose, but since the digest could
sometimes be more accurately titled the "Water Chemistry Digest", I
figured I'd give it a go.  Scream at me privately if you feel like it.
:)

My question may be based on my imperfect understanding of solubility.
I'm trying to miz water for Malawi cichlids (with some Java fern,
Hygro, Java moss, and horwort -- we're on topic now!).  The breakdown
of prevalent ions in the lake is like so:  	

	Cations:  73% Ca++, 27% Mg++
	Anions:  88% CO3--, 12% SiO3--

GH is 6-10 DH.

A source for silicate is beyond me, but I was planning on using
powdered limestone (via the garden shop) to get my Ca, Mg, and CO3.
This is CaCO3, and MgCO3, primarily the former.  Thing is, I found
that the solubility of CaCO3 (I don't know what it is, just that it's
low) is too low to achieve the required hardness.  How else would I
make the water without introducing additional ions?

Thanks,

Brian T. Forsythe
crom at cris_com

Every picture is not worth a thousand words; besides, I think I'd rather have the thousand words.