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Re: Hardened, softened and confused...HELP !
> The tap water in my area has a carbonate hardness of 1.5dKH. Now, why
> should I increase it to at least 3.5dKH, apart from the danger of an
> acid drop?
I personally prefer 5 dKH since it allows me to achieve the pH and CO2
levels that I desire (pH 7.0, 15 pm CO2). "Acid drop" is only a
problem where an aquarist does not change water very often and/or has
a high fish load. As nitrification occurs, carbonate hardness is
removed. After a certain point, buffering will be lost and the pH
will drop.
> Do plants assimilate better at hardness in the region of 3.5 to 4.0dKH?
Not to my knowledge.
> But I don't really see any real drop in the pH. With hardness of 1.5dKH,
> my pH is in the region of 6.7.
>
> In fact the CO2 table indicated that with hardness of 1.5dKH, the pH
> should be in the region of 6.6 to 6.8. And this will tie up to an
> optimal CO2 level at 7.0mg/l to 11.1 mg/l
I like CO2 to be a little higher (15-20 ppm) to get faster growth.
You may like it lower to reduce the amount of pruning you have to do.
> Now, do you experts reckoned I should increase my hardness?
If you're happy with your pH and CO2 levels, NO!
> Please advise as this is quite confusing.
It's simple. Decide on the pH and CO2 levels you desire for whatever
reasons. Use a chart to determine what level of KH coincides with
those parameters. Set your CO2 controller to the desired pH and the
CO2<->carbonate equilibirium system will give you the CO2 levels you
desire.
George
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