# affects on co2 while buffering tank with crushed cockle shell



## biffster (14 Sep 2013)

can any one tell me what the effects would be on my co2 injection for my plants when i am buffering my tank water with crushed cockle shell or will it not make and difference


----------



## ceg4048 (14 Sep 2013)

There will be no effect. On the other hand, there is minimal reason to be buffering your tank water in the first place. See Stupidly used oyster shell gravel... | UK Aquatic Plant Society for some details about shells effect on CO2.

Cheers,


----------



## biffster (15 Sep 2013)

where i live we have a very low carbonate hardness and the ph and kh drops off over a few days and with running co2 its knocks the ph right down


----------



## dw1305 (15 Sep 2013)

Hi all, 
I don't see any reason for not using cockle shell gravel to add some dKH. I'm not a CO2 user, but I think as long as you use 4dKH/bromothymol blue solution in your drop checker it should be fine. The added carbonic acid will make more of the shell dissolve, but that shouldn't really matter. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## ceg4048 (15 Sep 2013)

biffster said:


> where i live we have a very low carbonate hardness and the ph and kh drops off over a few days and with running co2 its knocks the ph right down


If you are worrying about pH being knocked down in a CO2 injected tank then you are going to waste a lot of time accomplishing nothing. The pH is supposed to be knocked down. It doe not affect anything. In fact, monitoring the fall of the pH is one of the ways we ensure good CO2. You really need to worry about CO2, flow and distribution, not pH, because it doesn't really matter.

Cheers,


----------

