• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Perplexed about extreme TDS readings

This is a strange one - something is definitely off with the numbers somewhere.

As Clive says you don’t need to add the Acid buffer. All it’s doing to removing the carbonates you are adding with the Alkaline buffer. Just add enough alkaline buffer to target 1-2dKH, and the Equilibrium for GH, and don’t use the acid buffer.

Ok, after re-reading the whole thread. I guess @ceg4048 and @Wookii answered above worries about the KH... I'll just skip the Acid and add enough of the Alkaline Buffer to target 1-2 KH instead of the 6-7 KH I've done in the past. Thanks!

I'll let the thread know how it goes.

Cheers,
Michael
 
Last edited:
Hi all,
The only thing that worries me a bit is that if I essentially replace 50% with remineralized water with a GH of 8 and a KH of near 0 (as I am not adding the Alkaline Buffers) wouldn't that drive down my current KH of 6-7 to the 1-2 range (and eventually lower with consecutive WCs) where Ph becomes dangerously unstable?
Dangerously unstable pH doesn't really occur in very soft water. The pH just <"becomes more variable">.
the Alkaline Buffer to target 1-2 KH
That is definitely what I'd do (and do). I have hard (about 17 dGH/dKH) good quality tap water and our rainwater has some carbonate buffering.

cheers Darrel
 
The only thing that worries me a bit is that if I essentially replace 50% with remineralized water with a GH of 8 and a KH of near 0 (as I am not adding the Alkaline Buffers) wouldn't that drive down my current KH of 6-7 to the 1-2 range (and eventually lower with consecutive WCs) where Ph becomes dangerously unstable?
Hello,
This is yet one more myth that hobbyist should never worry about. pH is just a number and has no meaning by itself and is only relevant within the context of the chemical agents in the water. So the number itself cannot be dangerous unless the number is being driven by a dangerous agent in the water column. This is a concept that many people completely misunderstand. So for example, suppose you were to put battery acid in the water. It would drive the pH very low and would be lethal to the fish, but the fish would not perish as a result of the low pH. They would perish because of the toxic acid. Similarly, suppose you put ammonia in the water. The pH would rise, but the animals would perish due to ammonia toxicity, not due to pH rise.
This is a really important concept because it forces us to look at the reason for the pH reading and to not necessarily be alarmed at the numerical value itself. Since we are not introducing any toxic agents into the tank that coincidentally also have an effect on pH, then there is nothing to worry about. Just like the behavior of your TDS reading, it is not the number itself that is necessarily an issue, for example if it were due to calcium in the water, but if a large portion of the number were due to pollution, i.e. fish waste and uneaten food, then yes it would be a worry because pollution kills, not TDS numerical value.

Cheers,
 
Hello,
This is yet one more myth that hobbyist should never worry about. pH is just a number and has no meaning by itself and is only relevant within the context of the chemical agents in the water. So the number itself cannot be dangerous unless the number is being driven by a dangerous agent in the water column. This is a concept that many people completely misunderstand. So for example, suppose you were to put battery acid in the water. It would drive the pH very low and would be lethal to the fish, but the fish would not perish as a result of the low pH. They would perish because of the toxic acid. Similarly, suppose you put ammonia in the water. The pH would rise, but the animals would perish due to ammonia toxicity, not due to pH rise.
This is a really important concept because it forces us to look at the reason for the pH reading and to not necessarily be alarmed at the numerical value itself. Since we are not introducing any toxic agents into the tank that coincidentally also have an effect on pH, then there is nothing to worry about. Just like the behavior of your TDS reading, it is not the number itself that is necessarily an issue, for example if it were due to calcium in the water, but if a large portion of the number were due to pollution, i.e. fish waste and uneaten food, then yes it would be a worry because pollution kills, not TDS numerical value.

Cheers,
Got it. Numbers don't mean much without context, cause and effect, which essentially is why I didn't worry too much about the high numeric reading of the TDS meter, other that trying to understand the reason, as fish and plants are seemingly doing well. I got the TDS meter for Christmas and probably had the high levels way well before that (both tanks have been running without many issues for about 8 months).

Cheers,
Michael
 
Back
Top