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An
Article by George J. Reclos
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I have been asked many times in
the past to give a list of the salts that I use in my tank. This
article will give you all the basics on the salts I use. One may go
for the whole list or just stay with the two basic compounds, namely
Magnesium sulphate (or chloride) and Sodium bicarbonate.
Essentially, the former raises the GH (General Hardness), while the
second raises the KH (Carbonate Hardness) and buffers your water at
about pH=8.2-8.4
The first table gives the
quantities I use for my tanks. The quantities mentioned are full
teaspoons and correspond to the water volumes indicated (which
represent the water volume changed). You must remember to replace
the water evaporated before the water change. I tried to make this
chart an easy to use tool. Of course, precision can be improved by
the use of an electronic balance but I figured that teaspoons are
easier to find in the average hobbyist's home. |
|
water volume |
CaSO4 |
MgSO4 |
NaHCO3 |
NaCl |
KCL |
KI |
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liters |
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20 |
0,04 |
0,32 |
0,61 |
2,50 |
0,75 |
0,02 |
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30 |
0,06 |
0,47 |
0,91 |
3,50 |
1,05 |
0,02 |
|
45 |
0,09 |
0,71 |
1,37 |
5,50 |
1,65 |
0,03 |
|
80 |
0,16 |
1,26 |
2,43 |
9,60 |
2,88 |
0,06 |
|
100 |
0,20 |
1,58 |
3,03 |
12,00 |
3,6 |
0,07 |
|
200 |
0,41 |
3,15 |
6,07 |
24,00 |
7,2 |
0,14 |
|
378 |
0,77 |
5,95 |
11,47 |
46,00 |
13,8 |
0,28 |
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400 |
0,81 |
6,30 |
12,14 |
49,00 |
14,7 |
0,29 |
|
1000 |
2,03 |
15,75 |
30,35 |
122,00 |
36,6 |
0,73 |
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Target Water |
GH=14 |
pH=8,4 |
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KH=14 |
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The following
chart is a list of the salts most widely used in fish keeping. Some
basic information is presented. The salts are characterized as
"absolutely essential", just "essential" or
listed for those who want the complete picture. |
|
CaCO3
Calcium carbonate |
Practically insoluble. You should use a very small quantity
of this and supplement it with Calcium sulphate and Magnesium
sulphate to bring the General Hardness to the desired level.
Its solubility is only slightly increased if bicarbonate is
present in the solution. Note: It may precipitate in your
tank. When dissolving it you should use many changes of water
and mix with new hot water again and again. Allow 3-4 minutes
for the undissolved stuff to precipitate and use only the
dissolved part. Don’t buy anything over 1 Kg, will last for
years. |
|
CaSO4
Calcium sulphate |
Slightly soluble. Again, you should use a very small
quantity and supplement it with Magnesium sulphate to bring
the GH to the desired level. Use hot water to increase
solubily. See the remarks for the Calcium carbonate. Again,
buy 1 Kg at most. |
|
MgSO4
Magnesium sulphate |
Practically soluble. This is the salt which is mainly used
to raise the GH of the water (sometimes referred to as EPSOM
salt). Absolutely essential for plants. I recommend a 5 Kg
supply for anyone maintaining 2000 liters of African cichlid
water. Will last a year or so. Absolutely essential.
(Can be substituted for by magnesium chloride – MgCl2) |
|
NaHCO3
Sodium bicarbonate |
Freely soluble. You can add as much as 30 grams / 100
liters safely. Great buffer capacity (increases KH but not
GH), absolutely essential for Africans. Increases solubility
of other carbonate salts (like calcium carbonate). I buy it in
10 Kg bags. Will last almost a year. Absolutely essential.
|
|
NaCl
Sodium chloride |
Freely soluble. Doesn’t contribute to GH but is essential
for African cichlids. Do not use table salt (contains flow
enhances including cyanide salts). I buy it in 50 Kg bags.
Will last almost a year and a half (see water change details).
Essential.
|
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KCl
Potassium Chloride |
Freely soluble. Potassium is needed by both
the fish and the plants. Use it in combination with Sodium
chloride. I buy it in 20 Kg bags. Will last almost a year and
a half. Essential. |
|
KI
Potassium Iodide |
Soluble. Not to be used all the time. I add
a small quantity (see table) every time. Iodine is needed by
Malawi cichlids, although it is not necessary for other Rift
Lake cichlids. An expensive chemical, however 1 Kg will last
for years. |
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All comments
concerning these chemicals are based on my water change schedule and
the tap water I have. The tap water in Athens has a GH = 7, KH = 5,
pH = 7.8 (most of the times). So the quantities stated in the chart
are adequate to raise these parameters to the values desired. If
your water is softer or harder than mine, you have to add more or
less chamicals respectively. The time each bag will last is
calculated for weekly water changes of 35%. Total water volume
changed weekly is approximately 800 liters.
For a GH / quantity of chemicals chart
click here.
For more information on equivalent quantities of chemicals
click here. |
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