CO2, KH, pH over 7, help needed

[fish_4_all]

I don't know if this is possible but I am thinking that it will make my BN happy and allow me to return to DIY CO2 in the tank.

This is with DIY CO2 with 2, 1 liter bottles, maybe 3 if needed.
SO here is what I know:
Want to keep pH of 7.2
To get 35ppm CO2 I need a dKH of 18
To get 40ppm CO2 I need a dKh of 20

Here is the question: How much Baking Soda do I need to add in order to change my 10 gallon tanks by 0.2 pH? How much will that change my dKH for the same dose to change the pH? Or better yet, what is the best way to maintain both at the levels I need?

I really want to try this but I need to know if this is going to work for both the fish and the plants? The pH IMHO is the key for the BN to be happy but we will see if they react to the CO2 and become lythargic again. If they do then I think their own tank is the only option without direct lighting so I can run 2 of my tanks for maximum plant growth with fish that aren't as effected by the CO2.

 

[Zezmo]

FWIW, I have 3 happy healthy BN plecos in my planted tank with a Kh of 2, and Ph of 6.2. Also, Ph changes as caused by CO2 are rarely (if ever) a source of problems.

IMO, adding baking soda is only needed if you have say 0dKh and wish to raise it to about 1-2 dkh. Chasing after such a high Kh (18-20) will probably lead to other issues.

On a side note, my BN plecos in another tank (non-CO2) have just bred, Now I have like 30 baby BN plecos in there.

 

[Jchillin]

Actually, you should only be concerned about the ph being at that level if you are interested in breeding them. They do just fine with levels lower than 7.2. Mine is similar to Zezmo's and I have several of them.

 

[zenkatydid]

i would stay away from adding anything to the tank that will directly alter the ph - it will be difficult to keep it stable, and it's much more important to have a stable ph than a perfect one. bns are tough little guys, very little phases them.

 

[fish_4_all]

That's what I want to do is breed them. I could actually have a problem of size but both are at least 8 month old so I don't know if that should be an issue any more.

The male is 5.25 inches and the female is 3.5 inches.

Sounds like I am better off just sticking with the original idea and using Excel in the tank. I will be getting some tomrrow so I will see if it works, have some algae to kill anyway.

 

[Jchillin]

Ahhh, breeding is simple. Check the Bristlenose profile on the Profiles page. Gives some nice suggestions on raising your ph organically for them.

 

[fish_4_all]

I know it is supposed to be simple, I just have stubborn BN!

I have crushed coral in there now and the pH is steady at 7.2 or so. With CO2 it drops to about 6.6 so that is why I am getting Excel, hopefully tomorrow. Hopefully they won't mind me adding that and it won't drop the pH. 8O

 

[Purrbox]

Excel does not affect the PH at all so you shouldn't have to worry about that.

 

[7Enigma]

My tap has a KH of ~2 and I don't like to see my pH fall much below 6.5 so I buffer ~5degrees with baking soda. I'm on DIY CO2 so I can get quite a bit of fluctuation (extremely high levels right after a change for instance) and I like having that extra buffering ability. I add 1/4 teaspoon to every 5gallons during PWC's and have never had it vary by even a degree. Keeps the pH where I prefer it to be, the fish don't mind, and it takes all of 5 seconds to dose to a new batch of water (I dose ferts at the same time so its really insignificant).