Update on 75 gallon *bichir* tank, Pics and Videos

[Pufferpunk]

Hint: KH is the alkalinity info I linked you to.

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

Seachem's Alkaline Buffer is a sodium bicarbonate based buffer. Ask Seachem themselves. Now Seachem's Neutral Regulator is a non-bicarbonate buffer but Seachem says it's more stable. Neutral Regulator was the one I did mentioned in earlier replies since it is a target buffer though. Now I have used buffer's over many years but I guess everyone has their own ways and opinions about using buffers. No Im not at all trying to start an arguement.

[sevenyearnight]

Raising the pH does not necessarily improve the tank. For nitrification to be stable and secure, the KH must be raised, not just the pH. The pH alone, or under the influence of commercial non-carbonate buffers does nothing positive for the water, nitrification bacteria, or fish at all.

That is the point that many to most hobbyists do not see or understand. KH or alkalinity is the primary buffer of FW on this planet, and the primary one for brackish and marine waters. Due to this it is also what water-dwelling creatures' physiology "expect" and on which they rely.

Corrcting pH without correcting KH is not only unproductive, it can be actively harmful, because the non-carbonate buffers are too unstabele in water. This leads to marked to huge increases in TDS (or osmolarity), without any biological benefit. Few hobbyist can or do read osmolarity, which can have major physiologic impact on the fish and even the bacteria on which many of our tanks rely.

HTH

I do understand. If my KH is low, then my pH will not remain stable because anything I add, like co2, ferts, wood, water changes, will fluctuate the pH, which will effect my nitrifying bacteria.
And I don't want to add too many dissolved solids at once, lest the fish go into osmotic shock.

I understand that with my almost non- existent KH level, a non-carbonate buffer would not hold the ph.

[RTR]

But you need to see and understand that pH is only a hint, and only its stability is significant to you so long as carbonate/bicarbonate is the SOLE buffer system in the tank. Despite what Seachem says*, other buffer systems do not ever replace carbonate/bicarbonate in tank physiology. An artificial pH supported by non-carbonate buffers is lying to you. It tells you nothing about whether of not you tank is functioning properly and well. So far as I am concerned, buying aquarium-specific bicarbonate buffer from commercial houses is throwing away your money. Bicarm is cheap.

*Seachem is actually one of the best aquarium supply firms around. But like its competitors, it supplies many absolutely unneeded products to give LFS and chains and mail-order firms products to sell to their customers who know little or nothing about biology and water chemistry in particular. It also allows the stores, etc. to make money off of you for materials which are much cheaper elsewhere. Almost everybody is in grocery stores regularly. I do use a number of Seachem's products routinely myself and I respect the owner quite a lot - he is a very bright man who has done a lot for the hobby. But he is not so stupid as to decline to make products which his customers ask for.

To expand on the importance of pH to hobbyists: Tank pH natters to hobbyists as a long-tern measure of tank stability. Most captive semi-closed captive systems (our tanks) tend to acidify both short and long-term - the pH declines, becomes more acid. If you keep tank records routinely you will see your pH dropping between partials and being restored by the partials. If you are not over-stocked and do not over-feed or inappropriately feed and do your partials regularly and routinely, such setups can operate indefinitely. But we are all human and imperfect. Over time our tanks tend to get more and more acid because they are imperfect and our care is equally imperfect. Entropy always wins. The tank water drifts away from exactly matching the source water profile. The pH is the easiest and simplest measure of that drift. If you "correct" the pH by commercial buffers, you are doing a paint job on a rusting car - the pH looks right, but the whole water profile does not at all resemble the original. You are wasting time, money, and kidding yourself. Kidding yourself does nothing for the tank and the livestock in it. You have to correct the underlying issues, which includes restoring the alkalinity/KH and maintaining it at the required level thereafter.

HTH

[sevenyearnight]

I assure you, I do get it, and I've been using baking soda anyway. I'm too poor/low tech to not attempt to seek out less expensive solutions in any circumstance.
I also like and trust seachem products, but if the alkalinity buffer is just sodium bicarbonate, then I would be goofy to pay that much for a small container of it when I can get a 12 lb bag of it for 7 dollars in the pool section.

[Pufferpunk]

yes, it may just be sodium bicarbonate but as you have seen in that link I gave you on alk, there are different ways to prepare it.

[sevenyearnight]

KH: 4°
pH: 7.2
NO3: 0
I set up my co2 @10 dpm, and have been dosing with Flourish comprehensive. I traded in the blue acara (Pretty sure she has been wanting to mate, she's been pestering Mortimer), got 2 SAE, 7 odessa barbs, 3 american-flag fish, 1 bristle nose pleco. I wanted to increase the bio load since my nitrates are always 0, and get an algae maintenance staff that is also attractive. These fish are beautiful! I feel like I just hired playboy models (That would make the bristlenose Hugh) for maid service.

Mortimer is still in the infirmary, no change I'm sad to report.

There didn't seem to be any alarming rate of new algae growing since I upped my ferts and added CO2, so that's good. I will of course supplement the fishes' diet. Also got some mopani drift wood and some java moss.

[Lil' Swimz$]

I've never seen a mix of live plants and PetSmart decor look so good together! Good work!

[sevenyearnight]

Thank you...but there is nothing from petsmart in there. :/
The dragons are for my husband, I got them on ebay, the castle, also for my husband, from big al's online.
I would prefer just wood, rocks, and plants.
I was able to talk him out of the knight and unicorn

[Lil' Swimz$]

Oh well I just kinda figured they were. Sorry.

[sevenyearnight]

Yeah.. It's the least hokey things I could find that my husband would like.

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

KH: 4°
pH: 7.2
NO3: 0
I set up my co2 @10 dpm, and have been dosing with Flourish comprehensive. I traded in the blue acara (Pretty sure she has been wanting to mate, she's been pestering Mortimer), got 2 SAE, 7 odessa barbs, 3 american-flag fish, 1 bristle nose pleco. I wanted to increase the bio load since my nitrates are always 0, and get an algae maintenance staff that is also attractive. These fish are beautiful! I feel like I just hired playboy models (That would make the bristlenose Hugh) for maid service.

Mortimer is still in the infirmary, no change I'm sad to report.

There didn't seem to be any alarming rate of new algae growing since I upped my ferts and added CO2, so that's good. I will of course supplement the fishes' diet. Also got some mopani drift wood and some java moss.

Well sounds like you got the ph near where you been wanting it. LOL @ the playboy models.
And I hope Mortimer gets well soon.

[sevenyearnight]

I wasn't concerned about the pH, I wanted to get the KH up. My pH wasn't staying stable because my tap waste KH is very, very low.
I don't know what to do about Mortimer

[RTR]

Congrats on the better algae control. The KH could still be a bit higher. That KH 4 is not very high at all, keep an eye on it for stability. I like KH 7-9, but I do tend to keep fairly high bioload fish.

[sevenyearnight]

Congrats on the better algae control. The KH could still be a bit higher. That KH 4 is not very high at all, keep an eye on it for stability. I like KH 7-9, but I do tend to keep fairly high bioload fish.

Thanks
With my nitrates consistently at 0, I'm concerned about my lack of bioload, and the algae continuing to exploit that. I've been reading about salt of petra/saltpeter/ potassium nitrate. I read that supplements like, fluorish, are generally low in plant soluble nitrate taking into consideration a tank's average nitrate levels.
What are your thoughts?