kh low

[aquaholic]

hello all
my kh is always low in my tank hence my ph always lowers during the week between water changes. My ph starts at about 6.7 and falls to around 6.3 by the end off the week.I have been adding carbonate hardness generator but seems a bit odd to do that
any thoughts would be welcome

cheers andrew

[Bill T.]

Your current pH is fine for discus. pH drop might be due to too many fish, too much feeding, scraps of food in the tank, filters overloaded with waste and food - maybe a dead fish in there somewhere? Nothing takes the place of those regular water changes and aquarium maintenance.
I used to put some shell grit in my aquarium to buffer pH but have reverted to using kH generator - margin for error in powder form - that's what I call it.

[petros]

A CO2 injection also decreases the pH level. I have also the same problem. I found a liquid called Osmocell 3 by HS, which increases the KH, but Im afraid the pH also. Ill look into it in the weekend and Ill let you know. The guys from the forum also suggested Kent R/O right which also increases the kH. I havent found it so I do not know its effectiveness. The above products are usefull if you use RO water.

[aquaholic]

thanks for the comments guys.
i have a standard 4 foot tank with 6 discus 2 loachs 2 brisslenose so i don't think overcrowding would be the prob.Ido 25%change each week with a syphon to clean the bottom but being a planted tank i can't get everywhere but hey. I don't use RO or CO2(be nice though).sounds like using a bit of generator each week is not unusual .my kh is around 2kh and gh6 normal?

cheers andrew

[Bill T.]

I keep my kH at about 2 or 3. With a 240 litre tank, 4 discus, 9 cardinals, and an assortment of cat fish (9 in total), I will add about a teaspoon of kH genreator per week.

[aquaholic]

thanks for that bill, i guess it's all part of keeping the water and fish happy :)