[Tacks12345]

I know to raise KH I was sodium bicar, is there something else? Something else will not TDS. thanks Ed

 

[Greggz]

I know to raise KH I was sodium bicar, is there something else? Something else will not TDS. thanks Ed

Most use either K2CO3 or KHCO3 as they don't want the sodium from NaHCO3.

Both add K so they will raise TDS some.

Why are you raising KH and how much?

Most plants prefer soft water.

 

[Ddrizzle]

I know to raise KH I was sodium bicar, is there something else? Something else will not TDS. thanks Ed

Well... TDS measures total dissolved solids. That means it measures kh, gh and everything else in the tank such as contaminants as one big number.

Therefore adding kh will always increase TDS. Put another way, dumping anything in your tank that dissolves will increase TDS.

Now that you understand that, I prefer to use potassium bicarbonate instead of baking soda. Potassium bicarbonate consists of potassium (a fert used by plants) and carbon. Baking soda is salt and carbon. Salt isnt needed in freshwater tanks.

 

[Tacks12345]

Thanks for the repley. I am using RO water and I use CO2 I try KH 1-3. I recover from a stroke I forget most of the simply things Thanks Ed

 

[Ddrizzle]

Thanks for the repley. I am using RO water and I use CO2 I try KH 1-3. I recover from a stroke I forget most of the simply things Thanks Ed

No problem Ed. As long as your TDS is 400 or below you have very little to worry about. If you have shrimp in your tank then you'll want to take more caution with it though. Fish are surprisingly hardy.

Are you increasing your GH through a product as well?

 

[Tacks12345]

I am going to try GH Booster from Tom Barr. I have to make simple. thanks Ed

 

[vandermeergerald1]

Now that you understand that, I prefer to use potassium bicarbonate instead of baking soda. Potassium bicarbonate consists of potassium (a fert used by plants) and carbon. Baking soda is salt and carbon. Salt isnt needed in freshwater tanks.

How much tds is raised using potassium bicarbonate e.g. 1 tbs on 5 gallons of RO water?
Thanks a lot.