# Using epsom salt to raise gh?



## assasin6547 (Feb 6, 2013)

I was doing a little research online, and found that epsom salt raises gh without affecting kh or ph! Too cheap to buy a legit gh booster so I might give this a try. Has anyone done so? Does it have bad side affects that might annoy shrimp?


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

Yes it will raise the GH but it will only raise the magnesium in your water and not the calcium. I believe most GH boosters come in a 3:1 calcium to magnesium ratio.


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## auban (Jun 23, 2012)

you can try aragonite, the stuff they use for salt water tanks. i use it, seems to work great.

of course, it will affect ph and kh...


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## assasin6547 (Feb 6, 2013)

Hmm then maybe I could find pure calcium somewhere. Is that all that's required to raise gh?


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## UDGags (Sep 13, 2009)

You won't find pure calcium (reacts in air). The cheapest would be to just buy the gh booster or separate chemicals. If you have calcium vitamins laying around they might work depending on their make-up but they are more expensive.

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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

calcium vitamins use oyster shell, otherwise known as calcium carbonate (basically will raise GH, KH and pH)

It would be best to buy a product that was designed to be used with shrimp, it will have the optimal ratio of magnesium and calcium and (depending on the product) should not have any effect on the KH or pH.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 4, 2008)

If you want to make your own GH booster, you can just mix it up with calcium, magnesium and potassium sulfate (that is all GH booster is).


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## beginragnarok (Dec 19, 2011)

I am going to mix up some more of Tom Barr's GH booster this weekend if you want I'll bag up some for ya.


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