Alkalinity vs. KH
Contents:
CO2/KH/PH Ratio
by cb77-at-namaste.cc.columbia.edu (Craig Bingman) (30 Jan 1994)
newbie chemistry 2nd try
by Wilson Angerson (Fri, 24 Feb 1995)
CO2 Tables
by booth-at-lvld.hp.
What is Alkalinity, and Why Is It Important?
Alkalinity is the acid-neutralizing capacity of water, and is due to the presence of carbonates, bicarbonates, hydroxides as well as other bases including borates, silicates, phosphates and others.
Alkalinity, often referred to as "carbonate hardness," or German carbonate hardness, is the measure of carbonate and bicarbonate concentrations in your aquarium water.
Alkalinity
Why is alkalinity important? Well, alkalinity is basically a measurement of how well the water in your aquarium can buffer against a drop in pH.
Alkalinity: The capacity to buffer against pH drops. The greater the alkalinity, the more stable the pH will be and the less likely that there will pH swings. Alkalinity can be raised by adding a carbonate buffer material.
Alkalinity - Sometimes referred to as Carbonate Hardness. The amount of your aquarium water's ability to resist changes in pH. The alkalinity can be raised by using a catalyst such as baking soda.
Alkalinity-The alkalinity affects, and is affected by the buffering system of the marine system. A high alkalinity reading often gives way to a more stable pH measure.
Alkalinity - The ability of water to maintain a stable pH. Controlled by the amount of carbonate ions present in the water. Also called Buffering Capacity. See KH.
Alkalinity
Alkalinity is a measure of the concentration of bases in the water and the capacity of the water to accept acidity (I.e. it's buffering capacity).
Kh/Alkalinity
The term Alkalinity should not be confused with the same term relating to position on the pH scale (referred to as basicity to avoid confusion).
Low-alkalinity or low-KH water: One very embarrassing pitfall was completely unforeseen. We all knew that nitrification uses up KH, alkalinity, a.k.a. carbonate hardness.
Alkalinity - High Alkalinity will result in a stable pH level, Alkalinity can be raised by using a carbonate buffer.
Alkalinity - The Buffering Capacity of a Water part one by Timothy A. Hovanec (archived link May 2007)
Alkalinity - The Buffering Capacity of a Water part two by Timothy A. Hovanec (archived link May 2007)
The KH standard and how to make your own ...
Alkalinity 2.9 meq/L. Need to keep raising this.
Alkalinity 3.0 meq/L. Calcium 774 ppm. Need to continue raising alkalinity while not adding calcium. Main sump pump (Rio 1200 froze up. Soaking in vinegar to remove calcium deposits.
The acidity/alkalinity of a system is a large determinant in the availability of nutrients for plant growth.
Hardness and Alkalinity
The hardness of water refers to the amount of calcium and magnesium dissolved in the water.
pH (acidity/alkalinity)
Ideal value = whatever it usually is
Acceptable range = typically 6.5 to 7.5 in freshwater, 7.8 to 8.5 in saltwater.
pH -Acidity and Alkalinity
Pure water is said to be neutral and is given a pH value of 7 Lower figures represent progressively higher degrees of acidity while higher figures represent higher degrees of alkalinity.
Hardness (GH) & Alkalinity (KH) / Magnesium (Mg) & Calcium (Ca)
MgSO4.7H2O
Magnesium Sulphate Heptahydrate
(Epsom Salt) ...
Alkalinity is the measure of the total acid binding capacity (all the anions which can bind with free H+) but is comprised mostly of carbonate hardness in freshwater systems.
pH refers to the acidity or alkalinity in water. The pH scale ranges from 0 - 14, with 7 being neutral. From the center 7 the scale measures the alkalinity (above 7.0) or acidity (below 7.0) on a logarithmic scale.
Water types include saltwater, alkalinity, hardness, soft water, and so on. Alkalinity water is measured buffers, which its capacity is based on test results conducted from water.
Parameters like temperature, pH, alkalinity, the concentration of the "N" compounds (ammonia, nitrites and nitrates), calcium and salinity are closely observed and notes are taken on a regular basis.
The pH measure water`s acidity or alkalinity. 7 means neutrality; under this value this water is acid and, up from this, basic.
There isn't really any such thing as alkalinity. The term alkalinity is an academic crutch for describing a substance that is less acidic than pure water. Everything should really be considered in terms of acidity.
You can use test kits to measure a wide variety of water parameters: pH, hardness, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and even more specialized things like the concentration of copper, oxygen, calcium, etc.
pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. pH is measured on a scale of 1-14 with 7 being neutral. Something with a pH lower than 7 is acidic. Something with a pH higher than 7 is basic.
Carbonate Hardness (Alkalinity) - An alkalinity test determines your water’s ability to maintain pH. It is an indicator of how “stable' your water quality is.
Coralline Algae: adding kalkwasser to your tank to increase the calcium content and adjusting the alkalinity to the range of 8-12 dKH will promote the growth of coralline algae.
In order of importance, they are pH, nitrate, phosphate, alkalinity, nitrite, ammonia and Calcium (for reef tanks, the calcium test kit is more important than nitrite and ammonia).
The pH scale is a scale which is used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of a substance. The scale ranges from 0-14, with 0 being the most acidic, and 14 being the most alkaline. Water with a neutral pH of 7.
The pH measures the acidity or alkalinity of water, with the value 7 representing neutrality. Below this level the water is acid, and above it the water is alkaline (or basic). Categorizing water as acid does not mean that it contains dangerous acids.
More sophisticated aquarists may make other modifications to their base water source to modify the water's alkalinity, hardness, or dissolved content of organics and gases, before adding it to their aquaria.
Aquarium additives are available to adjust the pH, hardness and alkalinity of any type of aquarium in situations where it is necessary or desirable to match these water quality parameters to the native habitat of certain tropical fish and ...
Aquarium PH levels - pH is simply the level of acidity or alkalinity of water. The level of water's pH can range from any where between 1-14. Water of pH 7.0 is called neutral and is neither acidic nor alkaline instead a balance of both.
I was first introduced to the concept of pH back in high school chemistry when we dipped little blue and pink strips of paper that changed color depending on the acidity or alkalinity of the solution.
As most keepers of Rift Lake cichlids are aware, this Texas limestone serves as a buffer to help maintain water hardness and alkalinity.
On the other hand, CO2 concentrations can be calculated measuring the carbonate hardness/alkalinity, or KH and the pH of the water.
A "buffer" or buffering solution is essentially a solid dissolved in water that boosts the alkalinity ("hardens") or adjust the pH. Examples include calcium carbonate.
Some swear by it, some believe that aside from biological advantages there are also calcium and alkalinity benefits, as well as potential food benefits for the fish and coral inhabitants of the aquarium.
- Conditioned water - free of chlorine, dirt, excess hardness, excess acidity, or excess alkalinity. Hard, acidic, dirty water is not suitable for aquarium. It will make life uncomfortable for fish and leads to constant fish death.
They prefer hard water with an alkalinity of 10 to 20 dKH and a pH of 8.0 to 9.0. In order to maintain these conditions, it is best to provide a substrate consisting of aragonite.
The Orange Leleupi Cichlid prefers a sandy substrate, white aragonite is highly recommended to maintain the alkalinity and pH in the water.
Removal of DOC helps the water maintain higher alkalinity, thus making it easier to keep pH in the proper range.
Family: Cichlidae
Size: 8 inches
Temperature: 78 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit
Alkalinity: soft, slightly acidic
pH: 5.8 to 6.2
Origin: Amazon Basin northward into the coastal rivers of the Guianas ...
The ideal aquarium set-up will consist of many pieces of stacked rock with a sandy aragonite-based substrate, which is needed to maintain the necessary alkalinity.
lower levels of Nitrate, the goal in every aquariums should be to keep Nitrate as close to zero as possible, and certainly under 20ppm. Finally, maintaining a stable pH of 8.0 to 8.4 is desired. Achieving this is made easier by monitoring alkalinity, ...
Good housekeeping helps maintain a more stable pH. Your fish will appreciate that.
Again, research may help you avoid tragedy. Some species require a particular range of acidity or alkalinity. They won't thrive outside that range.
 See also: Fish, Water, Aquarium, Species, Temperature
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