Recommended kH?

[shaman]

I used tap water and the kH is normally about 2 only. pH is 7.5. What do you guys suggest? I keeping shrimps. Should I up my kH?

[taz_boy]

I used tap water and the kH is normally about 2 only. pH is 7.5. What do you guys suggest? I keeping shrimps. Should I up my kH?

it's better to keep it above 2kh....i make it a point to up my kh to 4....
shrimps are sensitivity to change in water parameter like temp and ph, so higher kh will help to lower risk of ph fluctuation....

i guess u know how to increase ur kh rite??

[shaman]

by adding baking powder?

[taz_boy]

yepz....
i always do that when i change more than 40% of my water

[shaman]

Thanks for the advice. I will try it out!

[juggler]

Can also try some coral chips/sea shells in your filter or a mesh bag.

It has Ca and Mg in addition to carbonates that increase kH. The Ca and Mg is helpful for the shrimps shells. Ca and Mg are also macro-nutrients used by plants too.

[PeterGwee]

by adding baking powder?

Not baking powder..baking soda. Unless you decide to deep fry your critters, you can consider baking powder...

Regards
Peter Gwee

[taz_boy]

o yep. sorry for my blunder...nv see wat u type...should be baking soda...not powder

[shaman]

hahah. Thanks for pointing out. Is baking soda used to make cake?
where I can get them?

[bclee]

hahah. Thanks for pointing out. Is baking soda used to make cake?
where I can get them?

Yes, it is used to bake cake. Baking soda is aka bicarbonate of soda or sodium bicarbonate. Should be available in most supermarkets.

BC

[Local_42]

For anyone who cares here's the official run down on the differences and basic usage according to Google:

Both baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents, which means they are added to baked goods before cooking to produce carbon dioxide and cause them to 'rise'. Baking powder contains baking soda, but the two substances are different.

Baking Soda
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to rise. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will fall flat!

Baking Powder
Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch). Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven.

How Are Recipes Determined?
Some recipes call for baking soda, while others call for baking powder. Which ingredient is used depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. The ultimate goal is to produce a tasty product with a pleasing texture. Baking soda is basic and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits.

Substituting in Recipes
You can substitute baking powder in place of baking soda (you'll need more baking powder and it may affect the taste), but you can't use baking soda when a recipe calls for baking powder. Baking soda by itself lacks the acidity to make a cake rise. However, you can make your own baking powder if you have baking soda and cream of tartar. Simply mix two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda

[valice]

does anyone have very high KH?
my KH is like nearly 15d after i introduced my DIY CO2... Will there be any adverse effects to my fauna?

other than adding distilled water, is there any other way to reduce it?

My newly planted glosso and japonica (according to the uncle at the LFS, is those long slender grass like plants) are bubbling happily away, so i think the plants should be happy wif the high KH... But dunno abt the fishies...

[greenie]

valice wrote :

does anyone have very high KH?
my KH is like nearly 15d after i introduced my DIY CO2... Will there be any adverse effects to my fauna?

other than adding distilled water, is there any other way to reduce it?

My newly planted glosso and japonica (according to the uncle at the LFS, is those long slender grass like plants) are bubbling happily away, so i think the plants should be happy wif the high KH... But dunno abt the fishies...

What's your pH & gH? To bring down your kH, just do water change.

[bclee]

does anyone have very high KH?
my KH is like nearly 15d after i introduced my DIY CO2... Will there be any adverse effects to my fauna?

other than adding distilled water, is there any other way to reduce it?

My newly planted glosso and japonica (according to the uncle at the LFS, is those long slender grass like plants) are bubbling happily away, so i think the plants should be happy wif the high KH... But dunno abt the fishies...

A few possibilities:

1. You KH test kit is out. Do a simple test on tap water to confirm. Tap water is around 2-3°KH.

2. Your substrate/rocks/filter media contain carbonates. After introducing CO2, you reduce the pH and increase the solubility of carbonates. That results in the increase of KH.

High KH generally is not a problem to most plants and fishes. Unless you are having some plants or fishes that is intolerant to high KH, there should be no problem.

BC