hardcyder
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Part of my hobby is making freshwater "liverock". I have been using all sorts of materials for different effects. I use spagnum moss, peat moss, perlite, some sand, used charcoal and other things added to portland cement.
I have been using this pseudo live rock in all of my tanks now for quite sometime. My 36 gallon fw community tank is doing quite well and the parameters are ph=7.2 kh=80ppm Gh=140ppm. So, even thought the parameters are where I want it for the fish I have, I think it would be benificial to KNOW how my cement conglomeration affects the water quality. With fish, plants, subtrate, etc., it is difficult to judge how much the homemade rock affects things right in the aquarium.
Tonight I measured the displacement of my sample cured rock at 680 ml...and added it to a beta vase containing 2.5 liters of distilled water. The distilled water has 0 kh and 0 gh with a ph of 6.8 - 7. I will keep the water topped off with distilled for the duration of the test and check the values after a week or so. At the end of the test I'll also check for Nitrites, Nitrates, and Phosphates. Any ideas what else I should do to make this a valuable and more accurate test?
I have been using this pseudo live rock in all of my tanks now for quite sometime. My 36 gallon fw community tank is doing quite well and the parameters are ph=7.2 kh=80ppm Gh=140ppm. So, even thought the parameters are where I want it for the fish I have, I think it would be benificial to KNOW how my cement conglomeration affects the water quality. With fish, plants, subtrate, etc., it is difficult to judge how much the homemade rock affects things right in the aquarium.
Tonight I measured the displacement of my sample cured rock at 680 ml...and added it to a beta vase containing 2.5 liters of distilled water. The distilled water has 0 kh and 0 gh with a ph of 6.8 - 7. I will keep the water topped off with distilled for the duration of the test and check the values after a week or so. At the end of the test I'll also check for Nitrites, Nitrates, and Phosphates. Any ideas what else I should do to make this a valuable and more accurate test?