How to use this table: Take a measurement of the KH (Carbonate Hardness) of your tank water and pH measurement. Take the KH reading and go to the relevant red column. Check the row which has both your KH reading and your pH reading.
The Carbonate Buffer
Contents:
[M][some F] Buffering n' pH in marine tanks
by krogers-at-javelin.sim.es.com (K. Rogers) (Thu, 11 Jun 1992)
CO2 systems and fresh water plants
by booth-at-hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (George Booth) (Thu, 1 Apr 1993) ...
Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is a chemical compound. It is commonly used medically as a calcium supplement or as an antacid.
Using Calcium Carbonate without Carbon Dioxide
Recently, several products have come onto the market that consist of calcium carbonate intended to be used without a reactor.
Carbonate Hardness (KH)
KH measures dissolved bicarbonate and carbonate ions. They are commonly referred to as the buffering capacity. KH determines how stable your pH will be and is therefore very important.
Carbonate Hardness: The part of the total hardness that is formed by the ions of carbonates(Co3) and hydrogen carbonate(HCo3). It is symbolized by dCH. It is important to know the dCH of your water, as it affects both the ph.
Carbonate Hardness
Carbonate Hardness, also referred to as kH, is the result of contact between water (H2O) containing carbon dioxide (CO2) and lime or chalk (CaCO3).
Carbonate Hardness - See Alkalinity above.
Chemical Filter - A type of filter that utilizes a chemical medium, such as Carbon, to clean the aquarium water.
Chiller - A device used mainly in marine aquariums to help cool the water.
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.
Carbonate minerals
A group of minerals containing the anion CO32- as the fundamental unit of their structure. Carbonate minerals are used for buffering water to increase the alkalinity. See also lime
Carcinogen ...
Carbonate Hardness-This is a very important test in the reef aquarium because of the amount of life that consumes major elements such as calcium from the water.
calcium carbonate
CaCO3. Calcium in sea water precipitates (becomes a solid) as calcium carbonate, which forms the shells of mollusks and the skeletons of corals and invertebrates. calcium hydroxide
Ca(OH)2. See kalkwasser.
Carbonate Hardness and General Hardness
The two different types of hardness KH and GH are often confused.
Carbonate Hardness 16-19
In the mid 1970s a further subspecies was discovered by M. Fainzilber.
it was named L. Leleupi longoir in 1980 by Staeck.
L.
KH or carbonate hardness performs 2 functions :
a) Enables hard corals, coraline algae to form their skeletons in conjunction with Calcium ions in the water.
If you just have high Ca, but low KH, it's not going to happen.
KH - Carbonate Hardness
Ideal value = between 4-6 dKH in freshwater, 6-10 in saltwater
Acceptable range = pretty much the same ...
Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) This adds carbonate and calcium so GH and KH will increase. Used by gardeners as 'Lime'.
[edit] Reducing KH
The ions that make up KH can be removed by boiling the water. Boiling may also reduce GH slightly.
In contrast to carbonate hardness, general hardness is the measurement of the total dissolved minerals in your aquarium water.
PH is a result of carbonate hardness (KH) and CO2 concentration, meaning that we can calculate the amount of CO2 in a body of water by measuring KH and PH. For most of our tanks KH is stable while PH varies according to CO2 levels.
The addition of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) will also raise the pH and has the added benefit of buffering the water. Keep in mind that this will be an ongoing thing, so you can't add it once and forget about it.
Suggested Reading ...
There are two types of water hardness: general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH). A third term commonly used is total hardness which is a combination of GH and KH.
It is commonly measured as carbonate alkalinity or total alkalinity, and is expressed in meq, dKH, or ppm of C03 ions. The alkalinity can be raised by adding a buffer. ammonia NH3, this is one of the steps in the nitrogen cycle.
Alkalinity - Sometimes called Carbonate Hardness. The amount of your aquarium water's ability to resist changes in pH. The alkalinity can be raised by using a buffer such as baking soda.
The more carbonates within the water, the harder the water is said to be.There are mainly two separate types of hardness.
Carbonate hardness, specifically, should remain between 6 and 8 dKH. Plenty of hiding places should be provided; often plants are preferred. The addition of peat moss to the tank as a substrate or in a filter is sometimes used to condition the water.
Carbonate Hardness: Carbonate hardness (kH) is not used as a measurement of hardness as often. KH includes the presence of minerals and charged ions, other than Ca and Mg, dissolved in water.
``Can I just dump carbonated water into my tank?''
No! Plants need a slow continuous source of CO2. If you dump carbonated water in, it will spike the pH (stressing your fish), and the CO2 will just dissipate back into the air within a few hours.
The alkalinity test will measure the levels of elements such as carbonates, bicarbonates and some other elements. Carbonate Hardness is often used interchangeably with the term Alkalinity, but the two are really not quite the same.
Both total and carbonate hardness are a consideration when determining if the water is suitable for certain plants. Carbonate hardness is even more important than the total hardness.
Precision grading and enhanced internal surface area allows CaribSea Aragonite to deliver more calcium, carbonate buffer and essential trace elements than any other substrate. Creates a natural biological balance to discourage nuisance algae growth.
Whilst these corals do not excrete calcium carbonate in the same manner as the reef builders they do feature sclerites - internal calcium based structures. These tend to be fleshy and flexible.
You're right, you can get a general idea of CO2 levels from pH and KH (carbonate hardness). However this method is rough at best, since it assumes that there are no other acids or bases present in the aquarium.
The reason for this is that many invertebrates, like corals, build a skeleton or shell of calcium carbonate.
To compensate for this, nature has provided a screening device, the CH (carbonate hardness, i.e. the hardness due to calcium and magnesium carbonates and bicarbonates). The higher this is, the less the risk of any major variations in the pH.
For example, coral, sea shells, dolomite and limestone will release (leach) carbonates into the tank raising its pH buffering capacity (see the CHEMISTRY SECTION for details). When keeping African rift lake cichlids, this is desirable.
magna tends to prefer harder water (170 mg carbonate hardness) and D. pulex a little less hard (90 mg carbonate hardness).
0, and a carbonate hardness (KH) value of 90mg/L (5dKH). When adding carbon dioxide to an aquarium, it is advisable to maintain a KH value of 90mg/L and allow the addition of CO2 to slowly lower the pH value to the ideal range.
You need to be able to supply calcium, carbonates, magnesium, strontium, iodine and other trace minerals. The calcium you need in large quantities as that is what the corals use to maintain their limestone exoskeleton.
Carbonate hardness should not be higher that 1°dCH. Water temperature should be kept between 26 and 28 °C. Adding peat to the tank or filter will soften water and make it slightly acidic. The tank should have dim or no lighting.
Calcareous - A substance formed of or containing Calcium carbonate which can help keep a stable Ph level.
Calcification - The process of how corals and coralline algae extract calcium from seawater and deposit it in the form of calcium carbonate.
On the other hand, CO2 concentrations can be calculated measuring the carbonate hardness/alkalinity, or KH and the pH of the water.
Alkalinity: This is the measure of a solution's resistance to changes in pH. It is commonly measured as carbonate alkalinity or total alkalinity, and is expressed in meq, dKH, or ppm of C03 ions. The alkalinity can be raised by adding a buffer.
As with other species of fish succesful breeding depends on the carbonate hardness dCH; if the dCH is less than 1 the percentage of undeveloped eggs increases. The females are prolific, particulary those that are regularly spawned.
dH is a measure of the degree of General Hardness of water based on the amount of dissolved calcium carbonate present. General hardness can also be measured in ppm (parts per million).
Hardness (GH) ...
Aragonite: This composes the calcium carbonate skeletons of reef coral and some shells.
Occurs as fine threads clumped together. Possibly one of the hardest to get rid of. Tends to favor water with a high carbonate hardness and high PH.
Here the water is alkaline due to the increase in calcium carbonate (cacos) released by the gravel, the resultant high pH (hydrogen-ion concentration) together with low temperature usually result, ...
In the links below, please visit the Arm and Hammer® site where they discuss experiments and alternate methods to reduce lead and metal corrosion in tap water using less-expensive sodium bicarbonate as opposed to expensive phosphates.
It received indirect lighting from the room and a nearby window. The pH measured in at 6.8 (slightly acidic). Both the GH (general hardness) and CH (carbonate hardness) tested to be extremely soft, with less than one degree of hardness.
 See also: Water, Carbon, Fish, Aquarium, Plants
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