[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.