# [Wet Thumb Forum]-potassium citrate



## dinvl (Feb 14, 2003)

Hi. 
I heard some folks use potassium citrate instead of potassium sulfate in their planted tank.
What you think , is it useful?


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## dinvl (Feb 14, 2003)

Hi. 
I heard some folks use potassium citrate instead of potassium sulfate in their planted tank.
What you think , is it useful?


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

I don't know of any serious problem with potassium citrate, but if you want an alternative to potassium sulfate then I think potassium chloride would be a better choice.

The citrate part of potassium citrate is bacteria food. If you dose very much of it then it could cause a noticable effect on oxygen saturation -- mostly at night. It is also a weak chelating agent and might temporarily bind some metals and reduce their availability to plants.

Roger Miller

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_"The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want" -- Ben Stein_


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## jart (Mar 13, 2005)

potassium citrate _may_ also cause fluctuations in your ph. (i'm not entirely sure about this). it is used as an alkalinizing agent (to increase the ph of the urinary tract). the citrate is converted into bicarbonate in the human body. i'm not sure if such a reaction would occur in an aquarium, but if you decide to use it, i'd suggest watching for ph swings, especially if you would be dosing a large amount infrequently.

but if other salts of k are readily available, and so many others have acheived success with them, the citrate salt perhaps is best avoided.


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