Does buffering substrate only buffer down?

[ravensgate]

Probably a dumb question but does it only buffer down? Throwing an example out...Fluval Shrimp Stratum buffers roughly at 7.0. If you put RO water at 6.4 pH in a tank of FSS will it just stay at 6.4 or will it buffer 'up' to 7.0?

[fplata]

Not a DBS question at all, I always wanted to ask

[mordalphus]

RO water has no KH, so the pH will be whatever it settles on (usually what your tap water pH is before the RO machine). My RO machine actually made my pH 6.5 tap water into pH 8 for some reason.

But there is one substrate that buffers up or down to 6.5, that's shirakura red bee sand.

[ravensgate]

In this particular case I'm using RO by the gallon so pH is 6.4, KH 0, GH 0 and with remineralizing I have noted no adjustment in pH afterwards. So a 6.5 substrate will just basically have the pH at 6.4 of the RO? It's Up Aqua Shrimp Sand I've got.

[mordalphus]

Yeah, actually using ro it might lower down into the 5s, when a soil says it buffers DOWN to 6.5, it means tap water with 7.5 pH and moderate hardness. When to use RO, it usually brings it down lower than that.

[ravensgate]

Ahhh crap. Thanks Liam

[somewhatshocked]

Hirose Volcamia can buffer up but it's tough to get in the States.

[mordalphus]

Hirose is the same company that makes shirakura red bee sand. They're a soil manufacturer in Japan.

[somewhatshocked]

Volcamia G/Green is the stuff I've got Tigers on right now.

Seems to be a lesser quality than the Red Bee stuff that I've seen on YouTube and such.

[mordalphus]

Hirose makes a good soil, I just have no need for a soil that buffers to neutral.

I'm hoping to visit their facility in the spring, see how our shrimp soils are made first hand. Now that im working for shirakura I can see all the juicy secrets, muahahahahaha

[somewhatshocked]

Bring that stuff to the States, posthaste!

[mordalphus]

Easier said than done, you know that

[somewhatshocked]

Which is why I got but two bags of Volcamia... after selling off a kidney and an eye to get it.

ravensgate: I've found FSS easier to use with crushed coral than some other substrates. Easier to raise pH, that is.

[plamski]

I'm happy with not that strong buffering capacity of Azoo Plant Grower Bed.
In 20 gal long with 1/2" Akadama and 1 1/2" of Azoo in t days PH went down from 7.8 to 7.2.Brown one is with PH6.9 thought. Some crushed corals in a bag will fix the problem and will keep PH in 7.5

[ravensgate]

Originally Posted by plamski

I'm happy with not that strong buffering capacity of Azoo Plant Grower Bed.
In 20 gal long with 1/2" Akadama and 1 1/2" of Azoo in t days PH went down from 7.8 to 7.2.Brown one is with PH6.9 thought. Some crushed corals in a bag will fix the problem and will keep PH in 7.5

I have it in my 12G long and it stopped buffering about a month ago. And it's only been in the tank since August. I was filling it with half tap and half RO and it kept it at a steady 6.8 for the first 3 months, then decided to be at 7.4-7.6 Nothing in the tank that would raise the pH. So now I've got straight RO water only going in there. I think that particular tank is cursed though. Or maybe it's me