# I have Oil Dri/SMS Now what do i do?



## will5 (Oct 26, 2005)

OK as a test i tried to wash it like i did my flourite and i can say that this stuff is way more dirty. So after washing enough for two inches in a 1 gallon as a test i have found that my KH has went from 6 to 3. My pH and GH have both dropped as well.

So here is my question i have 25lb of the oil dri and i had wanted to swap out my current gravel for this and then get the fish back in the same day, but with it dropping my KH and all i am scared because i will be injecting Diy Co2 and don't know how the fish will react to such a low KH. I also don't like the fact that it clouds so much.

So could someone let me know what to do and if my worries have merit? Any and all help would be great.


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## jaidexl (Jan 20, 2007)

I didn't do an initial test after adding, but I never see any decrease in my alkalinity. Frequent water changes should keep things solid. My params are 3dKH (both tank and source), 5dGH, and pH stays at 6.6 with ~2bps.

I would drip acclimate the fish for a little while from 6 to 3dKh if you want to stay safe, but I would give the tank some time to see what it's going to settle at if possible, to avoid unnecessary acclimations and stress. I'd ignore pH since O2 and CO2 levels are going to play games with it and hardness and temp are the only things the fish care about.

If your source is 6dKH, I would venture to guess the tank may meet that again after some water changes. Although I'm starting off where you're ending up, at 3, but still no depleted alkalinity. There may have been some initial shock to your params from whatever might harboring in the clay, or it's possibly absorbing some of the bicarbs and such until it gets it's fill (?), but I don't believe there's any long term buffering effect of SMS, not IME. Then again, if it were, I wouldn't know since I'm already there at 3, so I guess you can assume your tank will at least have no problems holding at 3.


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