# Raising KH with Seachem Alkaline Buffer



## marino (Feb 28, 2010)

Water in Portland comes out of the tap with barely 2 degrees of KH. Since I'm injecting CO2 (pressurized system) and I don't want my PH to be in the lower 6's, I got Seachem Alkaline Buffer.
The instructions aren't very clear (at least for me), but for what I understand if you add the standard dose, you'll raise RO water (which I guess has 0 KH) to 5.6 KH.
I.m trying to keep the water hardness in my aquarium between 4 and 5 degrees KH.
And here is my question: Since I'm starting with two degrees already (tap water), if I put half of the recommended dose, will that mean that I will raise the KH by 2,8 KH to a total of 4,8 KH (2 degrees already in the tap plus half of the standard dose 5.6/2= 2.8)

What if I stop buffering altogether? I think that my Ottos and Cardinals will do well in those acidic conditions, but what about my other fishes like Besseman Rainbows, SAE's and Amano shrimp?


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

Why not get some Baking Soda which is sodium bicarbonate? Probably a hole lot cheaper.

Craig


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

Craigthor said:


> Why not get some Baking Soda which is sodium bicarbonate? Probably a hole lot cheaper.
> Craig


+1 for plain old Arm & Hammer.
1/8 tsp (leveled) added to 6.5g of distilled water = 1dKH
1/4 tsp (leveled) + 13g = 1dKH
1/2 tsp (leveled) 2.2 grams on my scale + 26g = 1dKH
Easy, cheap and dependable on results. 

My well water is so bad it's like trying to grow plants in cured concrete so I use RO. Purchased the Seachem line at the end of 2008. Alkaline 95% and Acid buffers 95%, Neutral Regulator 70% and Equilibrium 10%. 
% = the amount still in the 300g jars at the back of one of the tank cabinets. Just pulled them out and will pitch them after posting. (Clean up day :icon_wink)

Rex Grigg's Grumpy GH Booster dissolves much better then Equilibrium for my GH. The rest I cover with with macros, trace, Epsom salt and baking soda. Costs are WAY down from the premix stuff and results are as good or better,,, (IMO)


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

To answer your question (I read the jars again :icon_frow) to raise KH add 7 grams per 10g to increase by 5.6dKH
Starting at 2dKH adding 3.75 grams per 10g should be 5dKH product water for you.
Soft water (which is you) RO or DI instructions I understand to state use both Acid and Alkaline Buffers in a fixed ratio which never made sense to me as one is an acid counteracting the other.


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## GTR (May 27, 2009)

I think one will raise the pH and one will lower it when you add the products. Baking soda when added will lower your pH but once it does it's magic it will go up. You'll still have the pH swing from the CO2 and possibly more.

SteveU


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## Nue (Dec 27, 2009)

GTR said:


> I think one will raise the pH and one will lower it when you add the products. Baking soda when added will lower your pH but once it does it's magic it will go up. You'll still have the pH swing from the CO2 and possibly more.
> 
> SteveU


Seachem Alkaline Buffer will raise ph too, says on the bottle. I actually have this same question, if i was to use baking soda then it doesn't raise the ph? Or lowers and goes back to the original ph? Or does it auctally raise the ph? Sorry to hyjack.


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## wkndracer (Mar 14, 2009)

*Baking Soda*

I really don't understand the post regarding baking soda dropping, then raising pH readings. I currently have three American Marine pH controllers running. I can add BS open the cabinet (or vice versa) and watch the controller reading steadily rise and activate the solenoid on my CO2 cylinder. Based on long term use I can add BS and 10 minutes later test one of my low tech tanks and read an already anticipated rise in pH level. Now when doing a major WC I test to see where readings land after the tank mixes for a few minutes then add the BS to reset the KH and often don't even test for results until days later when testing something else.

The dKH readings based on volumes added in my prior post I've verified time and again with calibrated API KH test kits.

Seachem products always confused me in that Alkaline Buffer drives tested readings to stabilize between 7.0 - 8.5 if you don't add Acid Buffer to counter balance. Tanks would not stay stable for me when dosing EI. I had problems working this out is why I bought a bunch of distilled and did different mixes with the BS. Arm and Hammer is a solid reaction every time I mix new RO and the results are always stable in the tanks.


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## GTR (May 27, 2009)

Nue said:


> Seachem Alkaline Buffer will raise ph too, says on the bottle. I actually have this same question, if i was to use baking soda then it doesn't raise the ph? Or lowers and goes back to the original ph? Or does it auctally raise the ph? Sorry to hyjack.


That's because baking soda is NaHCO3. It takes some time before the extra CO2 is gassed off.











It's really difficult to add something to adjust the pH of your water and not chase your alkalinity. But then who knows what's in the Seachem stuff, they call it proprietary. lol

SteveU


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

There is rarely a reason to raise the KH of aquarium water, nor is there often a good reason to avoid a pH near 6.0. The good reasons might be to induce breeding in some fish, usually wild caught fish. By far the best strategy is to just use tap water, and let the fish acclimate to whatever the parameters of your tap water are.

Adding bicarbonate of soda doesn't add any CO2 to the water. It adds bicarbonate ions, which increase the KH, and with a constant ppm of CO2 in the water, if the KH goes up, the pH goes up. The only way to get CO2 into the water is to add it.


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## PRSRocker3390 (Apr 20, 2009)

My kh is about a 1 out of tap so I bring up my kh a little bit because without bringing it up and using co2, my ph has horrible swings. It is very unstable without at least my kh being at 3. What I find better then using baking soda is the use of crushed coral. I bought a 10lb bag of it one time for 10 bucks, it has lasted a year already and I still have a bunch. It should last me for quite a few years. Well, just get a filter bag and start with about 3 tbsp of crushed coral. Check your kh after a couple days because it dissolves into the water slowly and after about 72 hours I find it stops increasing. Keep adding more until you are satisfied. This measurement of 3 tablespoons gave me a kh of about 5 in my 20 and a ph of 6.6 so play around and see what works. I like crushed coral the best because it slowly dissolves instead of it just instantly changing. I feel it is the safest way to increase KH with the fish in the tank. Idk, just my 2 cents.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

PRSRocker3390 said:


> My kh is about a 1 out of tap so I bring up my kh a little bit because without bringing it up and using co2, my ph has horrible swings. It is very unstable without at least my kh being at 3. What I find better then using baking soda is the use of crushed coral. I bought a 10lb bag of it one time for 10 bucks, it has lasted a year already and I still have a bunch. It should last me for quite a few years. Well, just get a filter bag and start with about 3 tbsp of crushed coral. Check your kh after a couple days because it dissolves into the water slowly and after about 72 hours I find it stops increasing. Keep adding more until you are satisfied. This measurement of 3 tablespoons gave me a kh of about 5 in my 20 and a ph of 6.6 so play around and see what works. I like crushed coral the best because it slowly dissolves instead of it just instantly changing. I feel it is the safest way to increase KH with the fish in the tank. Idk, just my 2 cents.


If you get "horrible swings" in pH you do so because you have big variations in concentration of CO2 in the water. That isn't good. The only big variation you should have is from night time with the CO2 turned off, to daytime with the CO2 turned on. Turning on the CO2 should cause the pH to slowly drop to the steady daytime value, and turning it off should cause the pH to slowly rise to the night time value. This will occur with a KH of 1 or 10 or anything in between.


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## PRSRocker3390 (Apr 20, 2009)

Even with my non co2 tanks, my ph seems to keep falling slowly from the 6 range into the 5's unless it is buffered with calcium bicarbonate or in my case using crushed coral as my source of a slow releasing bicarbonate.


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