| Test | Results |
| NH3 (ammonia) | 0 mg/L |
| NO2 (nitrite) | 0.1 mg/L |
| NO3 (nitrate) | 5-10 mg/L |
| CA (calcium) | 2 drops = 2*20 = 40 mg/L |
| PO4 (phosphate) | 0.25 mg/L |
| FE #1 (toxic iron) | 0 mg/L |
| FE #2 (chelated iron) | 0 mg/L |
| GH (general hardness) | 6 drops = 6*20 = 120 ppm = 6.72 dH |
| KH (carbonate hardness) | 12 drops = 12*10 = 120 ppm = 6.72 dCH |
| pH (high test) | 8.2 pH |
Oops. It looks as if I added too much baking soda as per Hugh's directions. That carbonate hardness is excessively high, and probably is contributing to the high pH (as well as the CO2 consumption by the plants). I also think that the nitrites detected are probably as a result of the new additions to the aquarium as well as the temple - narrow leaf that is dying off slowly.
| Test | Results |
| NH3 (ammonia) | 0 mg/L |
| NO2 (nitrite) | 0 mg/L |
| NO3 (nitrate) | 0-5 mg/L |
| CA (calcium) | 2 drops = 2*20 = 40 mg/L |
| PO4 (phosphate) | 0.25 mg/L |
| FE #1 (toxic iron) | 0 mg/L |
| FE #2 (chelated iron) | 0 mg/L |
| GH (general hardness) | 6 drops = 6*20 = 120 ppm = 6.72 dH |
| KH (carbonate hardness) | 14 drops = 14*10 = 140 ppm = 7.84 dCH |
| pH (high test) | 8.0 pH |
Ok, so I really am going to back off the use of baking soda - that carbonate hardness is HIGH! With a high carbonate hardness, I already know that I'm going to have a hard time getting the pH down.
After these tests, I decided to call for help. I was able to talk to Greg at Drs. Foster Smith and he recommended that I get away with trying to increase carbonate hardness and instead increase total hardness - which won't have the undesired (in my case) effect of buffering pH to the high that it is now. He recommended a product called SeaChem Equilibrium. I plan to order the Equilibrium tomorrow and perform partial water changes daily or every other day to try to drive the pH down. I think I might need to look at getting some other aquarium inhabitants to help drive down the pH naturally.
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