# [Wet Thumb Forum]-ph stable



## qbal18 (Jul 19, 2004)

i got some ph stable from kent that it says it only effects the kh and it says it contains carbonic acid and monosodium salts can i use this to adjust my kh to 50ppm from 20ppm for presserized co2 and will i still be able to kinda use the co2/ph/kh charts i dont use it lotsa but just want to get a rough idea of what i have.

or should i use baking soda or crushed coral? whitch one? and if i use one of thes how much do i need to use i have a 50g tnak with 43g of water wiht a 20ppm stable KH

tank specs are in my profile


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## qbal18 (Jul 19, 2004)

i got some ph stable from kent that it says it only effects the kh and it says it contains carbonic acid and monosodium salts can i use this to adjust my kh to 50ppm from 20ppm for presserized co2 and will i still be able to kinda use the co2/ph/kh charts i dont use it lotsa but just want to get a rough idea of what i have.

or should i use baking soda or crushed coral? whitch one? and if i use one of thes how much do i need to use i have a 50g tnak with 43g of water wiht a 20ppm stable KH

tank specs are in my profile


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## wetmanNY (Feb 1, 2003)

The Chemistry Store.com at http://www.chemistrystore.com/sodium_bicarbonate.htm
would say that "carbonic acid monosodium salt" was a fancy term for baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate.

D'you suppose they're right? KentMarine warns "Do not breathe fumes. Avoid contact with skin. Do not mix with household chemicals! Corrosive and irritating! Harmful if swallowed! Keep out of reach of children! First Aid: If swallowed: rinse mouth, give water. In the event of eye or skin contact, flush with water for at least 15 minutes. CONTACT A PHYSICIAN IMMEDIATELY!"

[This message was edited by wetmanNY on Tue March 18 2003 at 10:40 PM.]


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

The answer is yes--I use this myself. I'd imagine that there is some other substance than just sodium bicarbonate contained there in given the pleural phrase _monosodium salts_, but that could just be a marketing ploy. In any case, it works as advertised.


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## wetmanNY (Feb 1, 2003)

But say, for example, it were magnesium sulfate, "Epsom salts." You wouldn't figure "salts" refered to some other arcane ingredien in that case. "Salts" is often used, where "salt" would do, to avoid confusion with common table "salt.".

If the ingredient is simply household bicarb then the breathless warnings are a little cheeky, eh? "Do not breathe fumes" indeed!

I hope not to be blown away by the Arm&Hammer in my fridge...


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## imported_aspen (Feb 20, 2003)

have you read the msda data sheet warnings on sand? it seems this powerful chemical is harmful too.

rick


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Qbal18,

I'd stay away from the Kent product and just use household sodium bicarb for the same effect. Less all the warnings. You can contact bicarb all you want and ingest it if you like. It'll cure your heartburn but give you gas.

If your GH is very low then you're better off using crushed coral to add both GH and KH. If you use bicarb to add very much KH to soft water then you can end up with a bad sodium:calcium ratio.


Roger Miller


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

Perhaps I've missed the gist of the original question, but if it's one of whether or not the product works and is compatible with the pH/KH charts, the answer is yes. Qbal, if you already have the product on hand, there's no need to abandon it altogether in favor of baking soda. Since you've already bought the product, you might as well use it until it runs out, then start using baking soda. I know _I_ wish I could find use for all the chemicals I purchased back when I was a newbie!


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## qbal18 (Jul 19, 2004)

well i will give it a try i got it a few months ago and have had it stting on the shelf thinking no i dont relly need it my ph is fine wihtout it then when i add co2 to the tank i think it is stil fin diy wont make co2 crash but now with presserized co2 i am starting to think it may be good to have more then 1deg of kh in the water so i will slowly raise it to 3deg

once i run out though i think i will try the crused coral though but how dose that work for when oyu got the amount you want do you have to keep pulling it in and out of your filter?

tank specs are in my profile


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## wetmanNY (Feb 1, 2003)

Certainly don't throw it away.

I'd be sorely tempted to make biscuits with it, just to see...


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## Jon Mulzer (Mar 9, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by wetmanNY:
> Certainly don't throw it away.
> ...


LMAO!!! That's why I love this board, informative and entertaining.









Disclaimer: Any errors in spelling, tact, or fact are transmission errors.


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