water chemistry questions

[sherry]

I have a heavily planted 35 gallon cube that I'd like to start supplementing with injected co2.

I also have very soft/acidic water from the tap. (Water in NYC comes straight from the Catskill mountains, basically snow melt)

so I am starting with kh2, gh2 and ph 6.5

I need to raise my kh a bit if I'm going ot use injected co2.. either with baking soda or with crushed coral in the filter, but I don't want to do anything that would hurt my trio of cacatoides, their health or their chances of breeding.

also I have been given a really pretty piece of lace rock I'd like to put in the aquarium, but I am not sure of it's impact on water chemistry. I"m told to expect that it would up ph. Now co2 injection would lower ph back down, but the dissolved solids overall would go up.. either from addition of coral or baking soda or from the rock.

From the fish' perspective.. what parameters should I aim for? and is coral or baking soda good or bad for them. Same about the rock. I know african tanks use lace rock but htey are alkaline tanks. Should I avoid it in my tank?

 

[aspen]

sherry, your water is real good for apistos. anything that you add to it will be a counter-productive. i would add co2, but in smaller doses, watching the ph carefully.

if you are doing diy co2, add less yeast to the mix, this will slow the process.

rick

 

[tjudy]

Rick is correct about the water beig great for Apistos, but cacatuoides can handle quite a bit of hardness and a pH over neutral. I would use the baking soda, personally, because I could control the amount going into the tanks. I do not think that you need to increase alkalinity much above KH 4 or 5 to accomplish the counterbalancing of the CO2, and that level of KH will not likely bother your cacs. If you had some other Apistos I would say not to do it.

 

[sherry]

I have a pressurized system that is not yet set up.. iT has a ph controller... so I can use baking soda to go up to kh3, or a hand ful of crushed coral.

what would the optimum ph be? I'm also in the process of scoping out some pencils.. decided on these Nannostomus mortenthaleri because they are just so beautiful.

oh, and if anyone knows anything about keeping these coral reds, please feel free to add your advice to this thread.