# dirting tank, gh, kh



## starlin (Jan 27, 2012)

i was going to dirt my tank. i am comfortable with the method, other than gh and kh. the tap water here is good, with ph 7, kh almost 0, and gh 0. i was wondering how i would maintain a gh of 7, and a good kh. i have some bars gh booster, and was thinking of adding lime to the dirt, though am unsure. what could i add to the dirt, and how much, or what would i need to do to maintain gh and kh?
thanks


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## GadgetGirl (Oct 11, 2013)

I have water almost as soft as yours and I use SeaChem Equilibrium to raise the GH. I have also used crushed oyster shell in a bag in the filter, but I have found this will raise the pH a bit. A small amount of oyster shell can also be mixed with the dirt. 

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## HDBenson (Jan 26, 2015)

I wouldn't add any liquid booster of any kind. It's easier and safer to just add crushed oyster shells/baking soda/crushed limestone to your water - it will slightly raise your pH and def. increase your KH. It may raise your pH some but not in a way that will grossly affect the system. I wouldn't worry about raising your GH either. That's really only necessary if you are wanting fish/plants from hardwater environments(Rift lake cichlids in particular). If you really DO want to raise the GH getting a rift lake salt mix and mixing it at 1/8th strength or less is an option but you would have to add it back in at every water change. I would google water hardness and water chemistry before you do anything to change your tap water.


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## anastasisariel (Oct 4, 2009)

starlin, Im not sure of how you will run your tank... water changes etc and im not so sure about putting Barr's booster into the substrate but I wish I would have had some and known to use it as it could have prevented some of my tanks issues. I honestly think you can just add a little at water changes and be ok, but im unsure of the dosage. Hopefully someone else will chime in. If you will be doing very few changes I would keep my eye on your water chemistry and add as needed.

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## Django (Jun 13, 2012)

I have soft water and I use Seachem Equilibrium. KH should be about 3 dKH and GH should be around 5.

If you have no KH, you risk a precipitous drop in pH. If you have no GH, the plant nutriients that are supposed to be in the water will not be there.

The numbers come from what was told to me when I was a newbie. In a lot of ways I'm still a newbie.


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## starlin (Jan 27, 2012)

thanks anastasisariel, my fish are all soft water. so for my plants. small amount of bars into the water should do. teaspoon or 2. adding as needed.


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## Clear Water (Sep 20, 2014)

I think kh and gh are important to long term health of plants and fish. Your water has no minerals that fish and plants will need. I don't think you need to raise it much. I keep my kh at about 4 and gh at about 2. I use seachem products to raise my ro water which is very similar to your water. My gh was low for a year and my plants suffered I have notice much better growth since I started adding gh boost.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Here is how I do this:

1) Research your fish. Find out the optimum GH. 

2) Set the GH of your water. Barr's GH Booster works just fine, Seachem Equilibrium, or other GH booster. Make sure it has calcium and magnesium, and does not have salt (sodium chloride). For most soft water fish I would target 3-5 degrees GH. 

3) Raise the KH to about the same level as the GH. I have used baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) or potassium bicarbonate. Either is just fine. 

Do steps 2 and 3 with every water change. If the plants, fish and microorganisms remove the minerals between water changes then add some. 

Organic matter in the substrate or elsewhere (such as in the filter) can remove these minerals as it decomposes. I would blend a small amount of limestone, dolomite, oyster shell grit or coral sand with the soil. Not much, don't want to overdo it. Look into the recipes for mineralized top soil and use what they suggest. 

You can add more of any of these in a nylon bag in the filter. That way, you can control the dose.


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## Django (Jun 13, 2012)

starlin said:


> i was going to dirt my tank. i am comfortable with the method, other than gh and kh. the tap water here is good, with ph 7, kh almost 0, and gh 0. i was wondering how i would maintain a gh of 7, and a good kh. i have some bars gh booster, and was thinking of adding lime to the dirt, though am unsure. what could i add to the dirt, and how much, or what would i need to do to maintain gh and kh?
> thanks


There should be directions on the packaging of Barr's - I think you should follow those.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

I have similar water parameters as you OP. For my dirted tanks, I added 1 tbsp of crushed coral and 1 tbsp of dolomite to my dirt for a standard 10 gallon tank with an inch deep dirt layer. This offsets the water softening effects of the decomposing organics in the dirt and the sphagnum peat I added in. My water ends up at around 5 dGH and the KH is 4d. YMMV though so if you want to avoid adding stuff to your substrate, go with Diana's suggestion of using GH booster and baking soda to remineralize your water after refilling your aquarium.


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## starlin (Jan 27, 2012)

i think the el natural dirted tank is the best way to go for low tech planted tanks. after dirting, and caping with sand, i wish i had been aware of wood chips in poting mix, the dirt is very light in the water, and i have disturbed it alot. also the nutrients. i have had a spike in ammonia, and nitrites, i hope these will level out, after 1-2 months as the method says. looking back, i would select a better soil. as is i need to remove the excess ammonia, nitrites/nitrates with water changes. also excess gh and kh from potting mix!. hoping after, then i can only add gh as needed.


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