# need to raise kh levels in tank baking soda?



## cichlid_beast (Apr 30, 2012)

kh at 125.3 tank is mainly malawi with an oscar (who will be fine) and frontosas (who will also be fine) i find the malawies need the water higher i want to up it to about 161.1 then see how the oscar is doing and maybe keep it about there.

we have some baking soda its called Bicarbonate of soda made my dr.oetker first time ill be doing this water volume is about 400l thats after the rocks etc.
currently im using ro water with tropic marin re-mineral tropic and malawi victoria buffer which is working and keeping my ph to 7.8 -8.4 just need to sort out kh how many spoons per day for 400l of water at the moment 125.3 or 7 drops before yellow.

thanks!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

pH=7.8 and KH=7 drops is fine for Malawi, I would not alter it.

If you want to do it anyway, you experiment with a gallon of your tank water. Test to confirm KH=7. Add a little baking soda. Retest.

Once you hit the desired 161.1 for the one gallon, then you use the measurement X the number of gallons in your tank.


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## cichlid_beast (Apr 30, 2012)

thanks i heard that it should be more like 11 drops?
so i do have the right baking soda to raise it just want to make sure its the right one.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

As far as I know, there is only one kind of baking soda. Perfect consistency is more important to the fish than perfect KH.

KH=7 will buffer your pH and keep it stable which is the important thing. Oddly enough, my pH=7.8 and my KH and GH=7. It's been good since 2005 so far with the fish of all three Rift lakes.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Indeed. Assuming weekly water changes and a pH at least in the low 7's, a KH reading above 4 will be sufficient to hold your pH steady. KH levels below that would require buffering.


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

I find using aragonite sand as either substrate, or placed in a filter is very good buffering agent. The very fine grain can turn the water a milky white when first added, which takes a while to dissipate, but it is a more constant gentle way of buffering. Unless used as a constant drip, baking soda is temporary and can cause swings up and down as it is used up.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I've had aragonite for 8 years and my pH is still 7.8...KH still 7, exactly the same as my tap water.

I think aragonite may work better when the pH and KH start off lower.


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## dstuer (Mar 27, 2013)

I would agree aragonite does not necessarily raise pH, but will keep a tank at equilibrium. It only starts to dissolve if pH starts to drop.
I use it as biomedia in a fluidized bed reactor. The FB contains about 10lbs of aragonite, and I might add a handful of extra once per year, seems to be insurance against fluctuation in case a large fish dies unnoticed, during vacation, or miss some water changes.


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Yes
Link should help.
KH 8+ for Serious Malawi breeding/keeping 10+ for Tang cichlid breeding/keeping.
Caurse folk do get away with less but think it a gamble myself.
Tend to go 10+ for Malawi cichlids 14+ for Tangs myself.
http://dataguru.org/misc/aquarium/calKH.asp

Caurse all this high tech stuff works but why bother when baking soda is dirt cheap and adding it to aged tap water real easy?

All the best James


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## 24Tropheus (Jun 21, 2006)

Oh and drop the Oscar. Or set up a South American cichlid tank.


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