# RO Water - KH challenge - help greatly appreciated



## jb2007mcd (Sep 20, 2011)

Good evening,

I consider myself a beginner getting tossed into expert areas. It is not too enjoyable, however has been a learning experience.

Long story short...I live near an apple orchard and we suspect this is the reason for high nitrates in my well water, comes out around 30-40 ppm.

I have installed an RO system ( typhoon III from air,water,and ice )which dumps into a 75 gallon holding tank. The nitrates are now zero, PH 6.4ish, KH 0, GH 0. I have two freshwater tanks. They have been cycled through the fishless cylcle since October. It has been a long process. I am using Seachem Replenish to raise the GH and I am trying to raise the KH to 5-7. I have read the Seachem Alkaline Buffer can help me raise the KH and I can use Acid Buffer to lower the ph if it rises too much, hoping to get PH around 7.

Is this a good way to achieve the right KH? I plan on one tank having rasboras, neon tetras and some freshwater shrimp and the other tank to be filled with barbs.

My plan would be to mix these items in the ro watered holding tank prior to doing my water changes.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
jason


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

kH is carbonate hardness. The easiest way to raise kH is to add baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), usually around 1/4 tsp per 10 gallons. If you have live plants, potassium carbonate or potassium bicarbonate can be a better choice (of maybe a blend of the two) since potassium is needed for plants and sodium is not all that common in FW. You may have to find a nursery or order it online.

Seachem's alkaline buffer is a "carbonate buffer" and will also do the trick, but may cost more and is intended to raise the pH. A blend with acid buffer could work, trial and error should give you the correct proportions. Or talk to seachem, they have really good customer service.

You could also look at "cichlid salts" which tend to be a blend of sea salt, carbonates and sulfates to mimic lake water. 

If you are going to be buffering on regular basis, I suggest you invest in a electronic pH meter, temp. and a TDS meter or a combo unit. There is a high upfront cost, but they are quick to use and accurate if you calibrate them. Having the ability to quickly "spot test" your water before use may save you from a disaster if you ever miscalculate or mismeasure.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

I think Seachem usually recommends mixing either Alkaline Buffer or Acid Buffer with Neutral Buffer. Neutral Buffer helps to maintain a pH, so it doesn't swing wildly if the buffer is overcome.


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## jb2007mcd (Sep 20, 2011)

Thanks EMC,

I have potassium carbonate and I thought it would raise the KH. I must not have added enough when I was experimenting. I will experiment a little bit tomorrow. I ordered some of the seachem products so I will do some tests on them as well.

Can you recommend any electroic ph meters?

thanks again,
jason


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

The hanna ones are nice. Auto calibration, include temp. tester in F or C and replaceable electrodes. Here is a combo unit for sale, but I think you might want the low-range rather than High range for FW: . http://www.ebay.com/itm/HANNA-HI-98...ltDomain_0&hash=item45fc426fbb#ht_1595wt_1140 The Milwaukee and no-name china ones are much cheaper, but I haven't tried them. I like the pen type meters because I can move them from tank to tank. There are also probe-type meters which are better for putting in a container (like your new water mixing container) and leaving them there.

I did trya pH pen with "manual calibration", which means a little screw that you turn with a little screwdriver. The ones that measure temp and autocorrect for it are much nicer. If testing takes as long as a liquid test it kinds of defeats the purpose of buying a meter. 

TDS/conductivity meters won't tell you what the "dissolved solids" are, but will give you a good idea how much you have. You can also use it to approximately match water to make acclimation of new fish easier.

Potassium carbonate should raise pH more than bicarbonate. Do some experimenting, you could try blending it with neutral buffer or baking soda. You can do a very rough approximation by equating ppm with mg/L. So if you want TDS 100 ppm, add 0.1 g/L of solute or 10 grams / 100 L. More accurately, you'd use the density to correct the amount. 

I don't believe a pH target of 7 is a good idea. I would aim for 6.5 in the neon tank and 7.5 in the barb tank. The idea that 7 is "perfect" aquarium water is just a myth. Water chemistry below 7 is different than above 7. Fish that don't naturally live in neutral water will be stressed by it switching back and forth.


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