# Seiryu stone and crazy KH



## Rinfish (Aug 16, 2015)

Hey all,


I recently decided to retest my KH (I should be doing this more often, I know!) and, good lord, I put 18 drops into the tube using an API test kit and decided it didnt matter what it was, because i need to figure out how to lower it. Previously, I had been using small amounts of Neutral Regulator powder with the new water to keep the PH at 7.0 (since my tap PH runs around 7.8), but stopped since I added pressurized co2 to the tank (reading that it lowers PH).

I added the seiryu stones around the time I added pressurized co2. Its one large stone and a few smaller ones. Tank is a 15g.

I also have indian almond leaves and driftwood, not sure if that counts for anything.

Do you think the seiryu stones, in addition to how soft i had been making my water, caused my KH to skyrocket? I know months ago on DIY co2 the KH was 2-3 drops. 

So in short:
15g tank | pressurized co2 | eheim filter
co2 is 1BPS, co2 checker is usually light green.
KH: 18+ 
GH: 10
PH 7.2
Seiryu stones | driftwood | indian almond leaves
Moderately planted

Should I be especially worried about this?


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi Rinfish,

Is the hardness in the tank substantially higher than your tap water?

The seiryu stones stones sold today are not from the Seiryu Province of Japan as the original ADA stones were; the ones sold today are Ying stones from SE China. They are a type of limestone and they will increase your water hardness, both dKH and dGH. Adding CO2 and increasing the acidity of the tank will accelerate the decomposition slightly but it can be easily remedied by doing your 50% weekly water changes. Seldom does my dKH and dGH increase much over the course of a week but I was ill for about 5 months last winter and my hardness definitely increased during that period.


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## sfshrimp (May 24, 2016)

I had seiryu in my first tank (5 gal). Drove GH up to 8-10 and KH up to 20. Killed all the inhabitants (some really expensive shrimp). As soon as I took it out and did a water change, TDS and KH dropped back to normal. From now I test all my stones in a bucket for a weeks with GH + KH test just to make sure.


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## Rinfish (Aug 16, 2015)

I honestly think that's what it is!

@Seattle_Aquarist just tested my tap: 

PH is maybe 8.0 (far past the 7.6 reading on the api card)
KH: 3
GH: 1

I'll remove the seiryu stone today and see if it helps.


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## SingAlongWithTsing (Jun 11, 2015)

You can always seal your seiryu stone with something like clear Krylon if you wanted to use em again at some point, it'll prevent the leeching


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

This is a point where we all need to be a bit skeptical. With the ease of internet shopping also comes the opportunity to not get the true facts of what we are buying. Buyer beware, type/hype thing? 
I have questioned some who sell things without telling poeple and they have always seemed a bit numb to the fact that they might be selling something to people who don't think it through very well. When money is involved, be careful!! 
I'm one who uses lots of limestone and I'm often told it will raise my GH/KH but then I know that in MY water that is already almost as high as it can go so I don't have any problems with using limestone. Whether it is wood or stone, it does require thinking and some research for us to verify what we are actually buying. And it is our job to check and verify that it is okay for OUR tank. It can be fine in water somewhere else but do nasty things in our tank. 
Seiryu stone may be great stuff but you are not likely to find it listed in any geology book so the question can be, "what am I buying"? Is there a real difference in those stones and eroded limestone? Pays to ask first.


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## Rinfish (Aug 16, 2015)

I may decide to seal it in the future, then. I really love the look of it in my tank.

Funny thing is, I have a nano shrimp tank as well. Checked the parameters and it ended up being that my KH was 8, GH was 3, and PH was 7.6. This tank has *more* of the stone in it, and its only 7.8 gallons! 

I can only assume that its because my weekly water changes are around 30% for the nano, or that the pressurized co2 in my tank is driving how much is leeching out from the stone. Oh, the mysteries!


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