bartoli

Hi,

I recently discovered that Ludwigia Peruensis raises the surrounding water's KH, and therefore the pH as well. Can someone please explain how a plant raises KH? What other plants also raise KH?


Thanks.

Glouglou

The only way is to release carbonate. Never hear of that.
How did you test this and come to that conclusion?

bartoli

Hi Glouglou,

I accidentally discovered that by placing the plant in a tank that was set up using the method described in Ms. Walstad's book "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium". That tank had been very stable. But within two weeks of adding that plant to the tank, pH went up to a level that I had never seen with that tank. I tested the water KH and saw that it too went up. Then I removed the plant from that tank. The KH and pH gradually returned back to normal.

I placed the plant in another tank and its pH and KH went up as well.

Glouglou

Weird

I’m speachless on this one...

ed seeley

It sounds like it would be very cool if you could do some more controlled experiments with containers that are empty apart from water and the plant!

Maybe two large jars, or vases, with no substrate and just stems of the Ludwigia in one and nothing in the other. Test the water every day and see if the results are replicated.

You could add substrate as long as you keep both containers identical, apart from the prescence of the Ludwigia of course!!!

If you have the time of course!!!!

I might try this with my Ludwigia helminthorrhiza to see if other members of the genus produce similar effects.

ruki

Just a wild guess. Perhaps something the plant produces releases kH from something else.

bartoli

Hi Ed,

If you do experiment with Ludwigia helminthorrhiza, I would like to know your observation on KH and pH.

After discovering that Ludwigia Peruensis raised KH and pH, I was curious to see how far the KH and pH would go. Thus, I set up a vase with condition similar to my other tanks. Instead of having fish in there, I have a CRS which does not mind hard water. When I feed my other tanks, I drop a tiny bit of flakes into that vase. Oh, I also added a pH prob so that when I care to check the pH I just have to glance at the monitor display. That was two weeks ago. At that time, the pH was 6.96 and KH was 4.

So far, the highest pH reading that I had seen was 7.58. When I saw that the pH was 7.38, I did a test on the KH and it was 7.

bartoli

That is certainly a possibility.

ed seeley

I'm looking for two identical vases (trip to IKEA needed!!) and then I am going to set both up. The other option is two identical tubs in my greenhouse. Once I sort out the details I will definitely let you know how it goes.