Is there a kh level I'd want to stay below in a planted Tanganyikan tank? I've read that higher kh requires more co2. I don't recall whether it either doesn't dissolve as readily or becomes less available to the plants somehow or exactly why this is. My tank has a buffering substrate so adding co2 causes the kh to rise gradually during the week about 3 or 4 degrees before it's reset back down with a water change. I switched back to tap recently so my kh is now running higher between 12dkh and 16dkh+ whereas with RO it was 8/9 to 12dkh during the course of a week.
At the moment my tank is right around 16dkh. Ph is 6.7. My indicator is bright yellow and my fish are getting that wtf? look. I use both a Co2 reactor on the intake and an inline diffuser so there is Co2 in the water for sure. It's a 20 gallon using 3+ bubbles per second and I'm sure the circulation is fine. Ferts are 30N/3P using EI. My water starts to get a bit milky in the afternoon and I get a little pearling but nothing spectacular. It's high light - 70W MH but it's 12.5" above the water.
I do get good growth from my plants and my algae has been receding. I'm worried about my fish though. Are my kh levels too high causing me to need more gas than my fish can handle?
At the moment my tank is right around 16dkh. Ph is 6.7. My indicator is bright yellow and my fish are getting that wtf? look. I use both a Co2 reactor on the intake and an inline diffuser so there is Co2 in the water for sure. It's a 20 gallon using 3+ bubbles per second and I'm sure the circulation is fine. Ferts are 30N/3P using EI. My water starts to get a bit milky in the afternoon and I get a little pearling but nothing spectacular. It's high light - 70W MH but it's 12.5" above the water.
I do get good growth from my plants and my algae has been receding. I'm worried about my fish though. Are my kh levels too high causing me to need more gas than my fish can handle?