Lasse
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My Tank Thread
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Hello @Lasse I your fish are very beautiful! I have to ask though what is that black tang? And the blenny on the bottom photo?
FYIFYI
I have started an aggressive use of CaCO3 powder soaked in skimmate for an hour. 4 table spoons of CaCO3 powder and 30 ml skimmate - once a day around 20:00 (8 pm)
I will follow up with results in my own thread in order to not derail this thread
Sincerely Lasse
That's a cool goby! This is my transparent cave goby. An unusual goby you don't see often.FTS a week ago - since that have my Euphyllia waterfall been reconstructed
New Okinawae - a little bit paler![]()
A new Goby
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Sincerely Lasse
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Sorry guess I misunderstood. I was thinking alk lol, sorry again. I'm not that scientific to go messing around with "non- reef related" products, I'd probably blow up the house.@twentyleagues - What did you measure the KH with? Most methods of KH calculations are build on acid - down to around 4- this acid will react with the CaCO3 powder - if it still in the water - and probably give a false KH reading. If I wait ar least 20 hours and use a 0.22 µ filter - my KH measurements with Salifert shows the expected figure. Hannas method seems not so sensitive to CaCO3 particles.
Sincerely Lasse
CaCO3 is the same as Calcium Carbonate. The acid used in most KH measurement methods may dissolve the calcium carbonate (CaCO3) into Ca and CO3 ions - in other words - raises the alkalinity (adds CO3 ions) in the sample and you may get an incorrect KH that is not representative of your aquarium.
I know that the methods that use titration (you ad a dye to the sample and measure how much you need of another chemical in order to change the colour) use acids as titrant (this other chemical) and when the pH reach around 4.3 the dye change colour.
However I am unsure whether Hanna's method - just adding a dye and then measuring its intensity - lowers the pH enough to dissolve remaining particles (in the sample water) of calcium carbonate into calcium and carbonate ions. That is why I asked what method you used to measure your KH while using fine calcium carbonate powder. The reason I recommended about 20 hours before measuring KH (and possibly also calcium) was because after that time all added calcium carbonate powder should have settled and not remain as particles in the sample water.
Sincerely Lasse
I understand. My last reply was more of a joke on my misunderstanding of what you wrote previously. When you said kh my mind turned it to dkh. Yeah sure I use the Hannah alk tester I also have redsea and salifert. I have never tried to measure kh or gh in saltwater but I have freshwater kh and gh test kits. I have no idea if they would work in saltwater. Having just recently (about 2 years ago) stopped breeding quite a few freshwater fish mostly more rare and challenging african cichlids, pea puffers, congo tetras, and some asian barbs some of which need "seasonal" water chemistry changes to help induce breeding. I have used acids and to some extent bases to change water chemistry. If I dont have a "boxed" test kit to use I have not tried to make my own, lets say I am not that savvy.
CaCO3 is the same as Calcium Carbonate. The acid used in most KH measurement methods may dissolve the calcium carbonate (CaCO3) into Ca and CO3 ions - in other words - raises the alkalinity (adds CO3 ions) in the sample and you may get an incorrect KH that is not representative of your aquarium.
I know that the methods that use titration (you ad a dye to the sample and measure how much you need of another chemical in order to change the colour) use acids as titrant (this other chemical) and when the pH reach around 4.3 the dye change colour.
However I am unsure whether Hanna's method - just adding a dye and then measuring its intensity - lowers the pH enough to dissolve remaining particles (in the sample water) of calcium carbonate into calcium and carbonate ions. That is why I asked what method you used to measure your KH while using fine calcium carbonate powder. The reason I recommended about 20 hours before measuring KH (and possibly also calcium) was because after that time all added calcium carbonate powder should have settled and not remain as particles in the sample water.
Sincerely Lasse
Some website issue this morning on my end.....I understand. My last reply was more of a joke on my misunderstanding of what you wrote previously. When you said kh my mind turned it to dkh. Yeah sure I use the Hannah alk tester I also have redsea and salifert. I have never tried to measure kh or gh in saltwater but I have freshwater kh and gh test kits. I have no idea if they would work in saltwater. Having just recently (about 2 years ago) stopped breeding quite a few freshwater fish mostly more rare and challenging african cichlids, pea puffers, congo tetras, and some asian barbs some of which need "seasonal" water chemistry changes to help induce breeding. I have used acids and to some extent bases to change water chemistry. If I dont have a "boxed" test kit to use I have not tried to make my own, lets say I am not that savvy.
You explained it well enough so that even I could understand it. That's saying something!@twentyleagues - I will try to clear up the doubts regarding the very German term water hardness. There are two terms KH and GH
KH stands for Karbonathärte (carbonate hardness) and GH for Gemeinsamkeit Härte (common hardness). KH is a measure of the carbonate ion content of water and GH includes many ions including calcium and magnesium which means it is completely pointless to measure in salt water which is very rich in both calcium and magnesium.
In salt water the alkalinity consists mostly (normally more than 96%) of bi and carbonate ions and therefore the German term KH became more or less a measure of the total alkalinity (both in salt and fresh water). The concept 7 in KH should actually be written 7 °dKH which stands for 7 degrees Deutsche Karbonathärte since there are many national scales for carbonate hardness. This aquarist concept dKH is valid for both salt and fresh water. In science, other concepts than dKH are used - there, alkalinity is calculated in mg/L CaCO3 or in mEq per liter. The conversion is 1 dKH = approx. 17.857 mg/L CaCO3 = 2.8 mEq/L. 1 mEq/l = 1 mmol/L HCO3
@Randy Holmes-Farley - correct me if I´m wrong or express myself badly (using swenglish)
Sincerely Lasse
Very clear! Like a tank that uses coral snow.@twentyleagues - I will try to clear up the doubts regarding the very German term water hardness. There are two terms KH and GH
KH stands for Karbonathärte (carbonate hardness) and GH for Gemeinsamkeit Härte (common hardness). KH is a measure of the carbonate ion content of water and GH includes many ions including calcium and magnesium which means it is completely pointless to measure in salt water which is very rich in both calcium and magnesium.
In salt water the alkalinity consists mostly (normally more than 96%) of bi and carbonate ions and therefore the German term KH became more or less a measure of the total alkalinity (both in salt and fresh water). The concept 7 in KH should actually be written 7 °dKH which stands for 7 degrees Deutsche Karbonathärte since there are many national scales for carbonate hardness. This aquarist concept dKH is valid for both salt and fresh water. In science, other concepts than dKH are used - there, alkalinity is calculated in mg/L CaCO3 or in mEq per liter. The conversion is 1 dKH = approx. 17.857 mg/L CaCO3 = 2.8 mEq/L. 1 mEq/l = 1 mmol/L HCO3
@Randy Holmes-Farley - correct me if I´m wrong or express myself badly (using swenglish)
Sincerely Lasse