Water Chemistry.pH/kH/gh

WATER CHEMISTRY

PH Scale Defines how acidic or alkaline the water is. The scale ranges from 0 -14. A pH value of 7 is called neutral, It is neither alkaline nor acidic. Below 7 is acidic and higher than 7 is alkaline. Each number on the scale between 7-0 is 10 times more acidic than it’s next higher number. So 6 is 10 times more acidic than 7, and 5 would be a 100 times more acidic than 7 and so on. The numbers between 7-14 are alkaline and the higher number is 10 times more alkaline than it’s next lower number. So 8 is 10 times more alkaline than 7, and 9 would be a 100 times more alkaline than 7 and so on. Raise pH Add coral or limestone to filter, Add rocks or sand containing limestone or coral into tank, Use a alkaline chemical purchased from LFS, Aerate the water. Lower pH Do water changes with RO water or even softened water, Add peat into filter, Add some bog-wood to the tank, Inject CO2, Use an acid chemical purchased from LFS.

kH Carbonate hardness or temporary hardness. Measures waters ability to buffer added acid, in other words stop drops in pH. Raise kH Adding sodium bicarbonate eg “baking soda“, Aerate the water, Adding products purchased from LFS to increase kH. Lower kH Injecting CO2, Do water changes with RO water mixed with tap water to get desired kH, Adding products purchased from LFS to decrease kH.

gH General hardness measures dissolved magnesium, calcium and other elements. gH doesn’t directly affect pH, The interaction of higher gH and kH does affect waters pH, making water more alkaline. Acidic water usually has low gH and kH. Raise gH Adding calcium carbonate will also increase kH, Adding limestone will also increase kH, Adding marble chipping will also increase kH all of these options will cause an increase in pH . Lower gH Add peat into filter, Do water changes with RO water mixed with tap water to get desired gH, Add water softener products purchased from LFS to decrease gH this removes calcium and magnesium and replaces them with sodium. Caution is advised if using this because it is said that soft water fish don’t like sodium.

Take great care, Any changes to pH should be done gradually to avoid stressing your fish.