Can somebody help me out here... I have a problem with my tank where I cannot seem to raise the pH above 7.8 no matter how much buffer I put in or how many water changes I do.. The lady at the LFS did a test on my water and said the water was too hard (I assume she was referring to the KH or carbonate hardness). Correct me if I'm wrong, but does kH and alkalinity refer to the same thing (generally speaking)?
And if alkalinity or kH is high, does it mean that it will be difficult for the pH to FALL as well as INCREASE? I thought that if kH/alkalinity is high, it means that pH just wont fall but you can increase it if desired by using buffers.... although buffers do not seem to work for me.
Another lady then told me the complete opposite and said that my water is probably too soft and that's why pH keeps falling to 7.8 (but it dones't really "fall" since I can't even change that pH value to begin with!). I'm getting a kH test kit coming in soon so maybe I can figure out what's happening there..
Some clarity on this would be great.
And if alkalinity or kH is high, does it mean that it will be difficult for the pH to FALL as well as INCREASE? I thought that if kH/alkalinity is high, it means that pH just wont fall but you can increase it if desired by using buffers.... although buffers do not seem to work for me.
Another lady then told me the complete opposite and said that my water is probably too soft and that's why pH keeps falling to 7.8 (but it dones't really "fall" since I can't even change that pH value to begin with!). I'm getting a kH test kit coming in soon so maybe I can figure out what's happening there..
Some clarity on this would be great.