Water Parameters

[izzat]

hi...

i jus want to know the best range for values of:

Carbonate Hardness (kh):
Total Hardness (gH):
PH :
NH4 (ppm):
NO2 (ppm):
NO3 (ppm):
PO4 (ppm):
Fe (ppm):

will there be a difference in the values of the above for different tank size?

thanks a lot...

[Sleepy_lancs]

Carbonate Hardness (kh): Above 3
Total Hardness (gH): 2-8
PH : 6.5 - 7.0
NH4 (ppm): 0
NO2 (ppm): 0
NO3 (ppm): 5-10ppm
PO4 (ppm): 0.2 - 1ppm
Fe (ppm): 0.2-0.7+ppm

Keep within those range would be ideal. But it really depends on what type of plants you have. Thats just a general guide.

Extracted from Tom Barr Recommended list.

Hope this helps.

[izzat]

thanks Sleepy_lancs...

but does this apply to all size of tank?
and how do i reduce or increase each type of water parameters?

thanks a lot...

[Sleepy_lancs]

It applies to all planted tanks only.

Carbonate Hardness (KH):
It can be increased by Baking soda or Coral chips. Baking soda allows you to control the amount you add to your tank and therefore you can control the KH value quite easily. However, the drawback would be Sodium content in it. Plants don't really need them. On the other hand, Coral Chips (placed in a filter bag into your filter) will increase your KH at a slower pace. You have not much control over it except regular water change. It will also add Calcium and magnesium into the water which is what your plants will need.

PH:
Increase or decrease this by controlling the CO2 injection into the water. The more CO2 you inject the lower the ph value. Do remember that you should try to have KH at least at 3 to avoid major PH swing. You should not use other stuff to lower the PH level. Your target of CO2 is between 20 to 30 ppm (using the KH and PH table)

NO3:
You can add KNO3 to increase this value.

PO4:
Use K2HPO4

Fe:
Lusgro, Seachem Iron, and others.

[izzat]

hey...

thanks a lot Sleepy_lancs...
hope this thread will also be useful for beginners in plant tank...

cheers...

[Sleepy_lancs]

Happy Planting. Keep us informed of your progress.

[agitato]

one thing about coral chips, if u put in too much at first, ur kH and pH values will rise very high.

u should remove some, but not all, if u find the values going higher than what u want. keep on removing until it is stable.

if u remove all, both values will drop very quickly if u do frequent water change.

[izzat]

thanks agitato...

and will post my progress soon...
into the planting process now...