Hi All,
Read that a good KH level is 4 - 5 dH. Other than preventing pH crashes, is there any relationship between KH and plant growth?
How do you guys maintain KH levels in your planted tanks? I've been estimating my CO2 ppm by comparing my pH and KH levels. However, my KH levels fluctuate due to my weekly 50% water changes and inconsistent addition of baking soda. I'm not using coral chips as I heard that they are not suitable for planted tanks. Any good KH stabilising techniques to recommend? Thanks!
Plants are not affected by KH... its the living organisms that we are putting KH for. Most people here still us baking soda to stablise the KH. Just trial and error and soon u will know how much to put.. it becomes natural after first few weeks of trial and error. Do write down how much baking soda u put to achieve ur desired level... each time try to achieve the same level. Once you get the same KH reading after a few weeks, then that would be the quantity u put into the tank each WC.
Cheerio,
Sleepy_lancs
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An afternoon trimming my watery garden is better
then an afternoon with a therapist
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Thanks Sleepy_lancs!
1dkH is good enough to use the pH/KH relationship to find the amount of CO2 in the water. You do not need alot of KH to do that and it will hurt the critters more if you bump it up from a water source with low KH (osmotic shock and etc.).
Regards
Peter Gwee
Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger
Hi Peter
Why is that adding ~20ppm Sodium Bicarbonate will cause osmotic shock while adding ~20ppm Potassium Nitrate will not ? Is Sodium the main culprit ? What if we add Potassium Bicarbonate instead ?
DC, 1dKH = 17.9ppm which is fine if you only need to bump the KH from 0 to 1 in a short time but try from 0dKH to 5dKH within a short period say a day and you would likely kill your critters. 10ppm of NO3 compared to 1dKH of sodium bicarbonate (17.9ppm)?
Regards
Peter Gwee
Plant Physiology by Taiz and Zeiger
Hi Peter
Ya, thats around there. Never do 0 to 5 KH right away. Usually 1 KH a day the most as my weekly water change only reduce KH by 1, so just top up 1 KH.
I thought you have problem with even 1KH increase
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