Tannin and KH?

I'm curious, what is the effect of Tannins on KH? I have water with 4°KH and 9°GH and I'm concerned that I may lose what buffering I have. I have some plants now and intend on the tank to be heavily planted, but my concern is if all my KH will disappear and risk a crash lessening my pH like this.

Any input?

Edit: I already purchased a piece of malaysian driftwood about a week prior to learning my hardness and it's soaking now

 

Tannins shouldn't effect your KH ((if I'm remembering things right)) However they will effect your PH by lowering it.

Now I'm going to give some "dumb" advice. Just say dumb because I'm fairly certain you know this. You can always up your KH by adding either a piece of cuttlebone, crushed coral, or shells to your tank to add some more buffering.

 

Tannins shouldn't effect your KH ((if I'm remembering things right)) However they will effect your PH by lowering it.

Now I'm going to give some "dumb" advice. Just say dumb because I'm fairly certain you know this. You can always up your KH by adding either a piece of cuttlebone, crushed coral, or shells to your tank to add some more buffering.

Then how does it lower my pH without affecting my KH? I'm trying to learn, but it's a subject I've found little info on

 

I had a long thing written up then remembered this article. It talked about exactly what KH is and what it does.. and it's explained way better and in more human readable terms than I remember.

 

I had a long thing written up then remembered this article. It talked about exactly what KH is and what it does.. and it's explained way better and in more human readable terms than I remember.

That's actually a little lighter than I've read before.

It's my understanding that carbonates and bicarbonates (KH) will react with acids to create forms that are neutral. Tannic acid, is an acid, reacting with the carbonates in the water until it's neutral or the carbonates are exhausted, whichever happens first. The drop in KH correlates to the drop in pH.

^^^that's my understanding of what's happening with the Tannins leeching. Am I wrong or does tannic acid not react this way, just creating a lower pH by means of more acids, bypassing the KH consumption?

 

Yeah it's a nicer read. Most of the ones I had found before were so scientific after reading it like 9 times I would think to myself "What did I just read?"

And Nothing I have read says changing the PH will actually effect your KH, so since no where did it mention it I made, what I feel is a logical assumption, that it will not change the KH.

Additional information ((I like researching stuff)) the tannins may not actually raise your PH if you have sufficient KH, or if it doe sit may be negligible.


I may be TOTALLY wrong in my conclusions base don the research I can find.. maybe CindiL knows more about this.

I REALLY wish I hadn't lost touch with an old friend who is now a marine biologist with a minor in chem, which is why I lost touch because I have no clue where in the world they are now..

 

Hi, that's the article I have too and I like it. I answered your PM but I think if its an acid then it will in fact lower the KH thereby lowering the PH. I think peregrine had a good idea to counteract it with shells .