Duradrakon T GH-Plus hardening salt mixture
Hardening salt mix for Tanganyika tanks - total hardness
In almost all fresh waters on earth, the calcium content is often significantly higher than the magnesium content. This limits the pH upwards even with high carbonate hardness, as calcium carbonate (lime) begins to precipitate from pH 8.5 - 9 and thus limits the further increase in pH.
In Lake Tanganyika, however, there is now 4 times more magnesium dissolved than calcium (almost 6 times as much as mole fraction). As magnesium carbonate only begins to precipitate at a pH above 9.5 - 10, relatively little is done here to counteract the rise in pH even to values above 9.
The most important point when keeping cichlids from Lake Tanganyika in terms of water chemistry is to prevent the pH from dropping too low due to the abundant decomposition products from feeding by means of sufficient water changes. This and too much free CO₂ are extremely poorly tolerated by these animals.
Basics
Apart from a little chloride and hardly any detectable sulphate, there are practically only hydrogen carbonates in the Tanganyika lake water. If the composition of Tanganyika lake water were to be imitated directly, poorly soluble magnesium and calcium carbonate would have to be used as ingredients in the hardening salt mixture.
However, these salts would not dissolve in normal time periods at the desired alkaline pH values.
The solution is to design a 2-component mixture: Duradrakon KH-Plus for the (hydrogen) carbonates in easily soluble form - Duradrakon T GH-Plus for the associated cations, also as an easily soluble mixture.
This achieves the desired pH and the desired hardness with only a slightly increased total salt content.
Composition
33.7 % chloride, 10.7 % magnesium, 5.5 % sulphate, 3.2 % calcium, 1.0 % carbonate, 0.9 % potassium, 0.2 % lithium, 0.1 % aluminium, remainder: water of crystallisation
The two components must be dissolved separately and only mixed immediately before adding to the aquarium.
This should be done in as diluted a form as possible so that no turbidity can form in the form of insoluble calcium and magnesium carbonates.
Dosage
1.7 g / 50 litres of water increases the GH by 1 ° dH
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71101 Schönaich
Germany
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3 reviews
23 October 2016 16:12
Works well. Now in use for 7...
Works well. Now in use for 7 months (now second order)
14 August 2014 06:47
I use this product to stabilise the...
I use this product to stabilise the water values.
10 January 2014 07:29
I don't know any better....
I don't know a better one.
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