# BBA & pH level



## GazK (Feb 2, 2006)

I don't think the PH in itself is important (to the BBA)
You want to try and get your CO2 between 25-30ppm
So what's your KH and PH ?
There's a calculator on Rex's site that will show you how much CO2 from your KH and PH
http://rexgrigg.com/co2.pdf


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## jhoetzl (Feb 7, 2005)

Equally as important, what ferts are you dosing. 
Nitrates and the rest of the macros, and a bit of micros are going to help here too...

And as mentioned, we would need to know your KH and pH of the source water after outgassing it...


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

You can find the maximum ppm of CO2 for your tank by using your fish as test equipment. Just increase the bubble rate a little each day, and watch how the fish react. If the all stay at the top of the tank, or look distressed, you have too much CO2, so should back off a bit. Keep trying this until you reach the maximum, then use the bubble rate, the KH and pH at that point as the target to shoot for.


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## xberia (Jul 18, 2005)

Thanks all for quick response.
I would like to calculate CO2 ppm but my tank can't make use of the pH/KH/CO2 equilibrium. I have KH buffering agent & peat granules(dated). 
So ppm won't be useful here and I believe many tanks do not have the ideal pH/KH/CO2 relationship. :eek5: 

I am investigating 2 possibilities:
1. Does acidic medium kill BBeardA ?
2. Does excesssive CO2 kill BBeardA ?

Tonite I am going to put in Ion Exchange Resin to bring down the pH without injecting much CO2(CO2 at normal dosage). If this worked, any acid will kill BBA. We will save a lot of hard work guessing and dosing.


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## Sympley (Apr 18, 2006)

I also have the problem with the BBA and I went down as far as pH of 6.4 using CO2 injection. My tap water pH is 7.5 and KH is 5 degrees, but in aquarium KH is 8 degrees. Unfortunately the BBA does not want to go away. I can't really go any lower then the 6.4 because my fish start to act weired and I lost 3 discus to that experiment. I am back at 6.5 and 6.6 and fish seem OK, and BBA is having a superb time, this s**t is everywhere. I keep buying plants every other day to keep sucking out the excess nutrients but it is not helping. The new plants grow well for 3 to 4 days and then the leafs at the bottom start having pin holes, and then the leafs falls of or is covered in the BBA. Then this moves up the stem until I only have a stem in my aquarium. Just yesterday I pulled out 10 dead plants. Any way to get to the point of this reply. Please keep us posted and let us know if your method works.


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## Jason Baliban (Mar 3, 2005)

Hoppy said:


> You can find the maximum ppm of CO2 for your tank by using your fish as test equipment. Just increase the bubble rate a little each day, and watch how the fish react.


I dont mean to pick on you Hoppy. I have seen so many people say this and I just happened to have some time to type when i read your post. 

Can we please stop doing this? This is such a rediculous method of monitoring CO2. If you are using EI then cut your dosing!! If you have to jack up your CO2 in order to deal with the uber amount of nutrients you are dumping in weekly, then something is wrong. It just is not needed.

Its just cruel!!

Again... Sorry Hoppy Hope you dont think i am picking on you 

jB


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