Not only water temperature in an aquarium, but also its rigidity is very important for life of fishes. So call the level of salts of calcium and magnesium. What has to be hardness of water and how to determine it?
Instruction
1. The rigidity is divided most often into constant and temporary. Temporary still call carbonate, it is connected with stay in water of ions of calcium and magnesium which can be removed by means of boiling. Measurement of carbonate rigidity, as a rule, is taken by means of boiling of a certain amount of water and weighing of the formed deposit. But in practice to make it quite difficult therefore apply the following method: prepare necessary reactants and the equipment. You need the distilled water, 38% solution of hydrochloric acid (it can be bought in household shop or to take in a school office of chemistry), the methyl orange indicator, a laboratory glassware, the syringe without needle.
2. Prepare the necessary solution of hydrochloric acid. For this purpose dissolve 4 ml of the bought hydrochloric acid in 300 milliliters of the distilled water. Then bring solution volume to liter. Be extremely careful: hit of acid on skin will lead to heavy chemical burns. Do not inhale fumes of acid and at cultivation add surely acid to water, and not vice versa.
3. Measure 50 ml. aquarian water for a research. Add to it the methyl orange indicator before obtaining saturated yellow color. Gather acid in the syringe and on a drop add to solution, watching change of color. As soon as color of solution sharply changes on orange, note the spent amount of acid.
4. Calculation of rigidity is conducted as follows: hardness of water = (concentration of acid * acid volume) / amount of water. The carbonate rigidity will turn out equal to the volume of the spent acid. To transfer the turned-out value from ml / ekv to degrees, increase it by 2.804.
5. Check whether the turned-out rigidity level is suitable for cultivation of fishes of your look. It is possible to soften water by means of addition of baking soda.