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Vallesneria and carbonate hardness?


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#1 Guest_bart_*

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Posted 22 January 2010 - 11:33 PM

I'm contemplating options for my stream tank rescape. I would like to do vallesneria but upon finding some info from several resources I have pause for concern. As I understand it, Vals like harder water and will lower my KH which is already really low, between 1-2gkh. I'm not sure what my GH is, I used the API test kit and added all they up to 30 drops with no change to the green color. My ph is roughly 6.4 but fluctuates do to my well water softness. I do small 15%-20% weekly water changes because of this with no serious problems.

This is all very confusing to me.

I would like to know if there is a simple solution to this problem. Would it be as simple as mixing aragonite or something similar to the substrate when I rescape. Who cares if the ph is high as long as it's stable and give my plants what they need. All fish will be moved to temporary tanks and very gently re-acclimated when I'm done rescaping.

Any advice?

#2 Guest_gerald_*

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Posted 23 January 2010 - 12:45 PM

You can mix aragonite or crushed coral in the substarte, OR put a couple spoonfuls of it in your filter, sandwiched between layers of foam or floss so the water has to flow through it. That will add just enough carbonate to buffer pH and provide a little Ca and Mg for fish & plant growth. It dissolves very slowly, so you wont get any rapid pH change or high dissolved solids (like baking soda will do). Simple enough?

#3 Guest_bart_*

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Posted 24 January 2010 - 12:00 AM

Sounds pretty good to me. I like the fact that it would be gradual. How long does it usually take to get to stable ph after adding to a filter? Safe to add with fish in the tank?

Edited by bart, 24 January 2010 - 12:00 AM.


#4 Guest_gerald_*

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Posted 24 January 2010 - 03:20 PM

A week or two, and yes.

Sounds pretty good to me. I like the fact that it would be gradual. How long does it usually take to get to stable ph after adding to a filter? Safe to add with fish in the tank?



#5 Guest_gzeiger_*

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Posted 24 January 2010 - 06:57 PM

I recommend crushed oyster shell. It's chemically almost identical to arragonite, but while coral products will be horrifically expensive at the pet store, you can go to a farm supply store for oyster shell (it's used as a dietary supplement for chickens). I paid $10 for a 50 lb bag which has supplied ten tanks for a year now and I still have most of it left. Cuttlebone from the bird section of the petstore is also a cheap alternative, if a bit unsightly.

#6 Guest_bart_*

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Posted 24 January 2010 - 10:27 PM

Will crushed oyster shells slowly buffer my water and raise the ph or will it be quick and potentially dangerous to a tank with fish already in it?

#7 Guest_gzeiger_*

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Posted 25 January 2010 - 09:11 AM

Shell doesn't dissolve very fast. It does tend to have a lot of dust from the crushing process, but if you give it a quick rinse before adding it to the tank it's fine.

#8 Guest_bart_*

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Posted 25 January 2010 - 01:14 PM

I think I'm gonna try that. I have a marineland emperor running on one of my tanks and I'm gonna put some in one of the spare media cartridges.




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