How long does JBL AquaDur plus or JBL AquaDur Malawi/Tanganjika maintain the water parameters at the desired level, or at what intervals do I need to check the levels?
Unfortunately, there is no general answer to this question, as numerous processes which decrease the mixture of the hardening salts in the aquarium need to be taken into account here, such as
a) Number and growth of snails. For example, GH and KH decrease faster in tanks with a large population of apple snails than in ones with a small population of snails. If the starting water is very soft, you may need to add additional doses at weekly intervals.
b) Nitrification of the filter: This consumes carbonate hardness. How fast this process is depends on the amount of nitrification in the tank i.e. on the size of the animal population.
c) Biogenic decalcification by plants. When there is a lack of carbon dioxide, some plants and some algae are able to use the carbonate hardness to cover their CO2 requirement, thereby causing the KH to drop.
Since these processes vary from one tank to another, GH and KH must be checked at weekly intervals for approx. 4 weeks when beginning the dosing with JBL AquaDur plus or JBL AquaDur Malawi/Tanganjika so as to obtain a guideline value for the opposing processes taking place in the aquarium.