ph???

[VickyH]

My tank is now cycling and amonia and nitrite are both up but so is pH, my tapwater is around 7.6 but the tank water is currently 8.2. I want to put american cichlids in tank and according to my book this is too high, is there anything I can add to bring it down? Also I used dechlorinator but is there a test that I can get to check it is safe?

[Weezer]

Wait for it to finish cycling, to achieve an accurate reading...:)

[Coler]

8.2 is a leetle high for American Cichlids as you know.

You could use peat in your filtration and/or add driftwood (which you will want in there anyway) making sure that you are not using any calcerous rocks (e.g. limestone, tufa) or substrate (e.g. crushed coral) in the tank, which would increase your Ph.

Adding peat/driftwood can be done now during the cycle - but as Weeser says the main focus now should be completing the cycle. You have quite some time before you need to start tuning anything else.

As regards how to check the water is safe, you have to trust your dechlorinator in that regard. Otherwise its safe when you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and slowly increasing nitrates.

One thing you want to avoid is using chemical products to lower your Ph - this will be very hard if not impossible to keep stable. If your Ph was down around 7.6/7.8 at the end of your cycle I would think you will have no issues with the fish you want to keep which would not be made worse by trying to artificially regulate your Ph.

[VickyH]

I can't wait to get fish!! I went to lfs today to get food for marines and they had a pair of jack dempseys in there - gorgeous!! Still patience is a virtue as they say! lol

[VickyH]

I dp have some driftwood to go in but I'm still soaking it to stop it leaching yukky colours into tank, the only rock i have in there is slate and granite. There is coral gravel in the sump though so should I remove this?

[Coler]

Yep I would definitely lose the coral gravel and replace with a different substrate - it will buffer your Ph up and probably explains the most part of the rise from 7.6 in the tap to 8.2 in the tank.

[VickyH]

Looks like it's back to lfs tomorrow then! Can I use gravel you buy from garden centres as long as it is washed well?

[jm1212]

it sounds like your pH is 8.2 because of the rockwork and coral sand.

[VickyH]

What's wrong with the rock, I thought slate and granite were ok.

[Coler]

I think slate and granite will be ok they're inert

[UCF-Planted]

Slate is inert, and Granite should be also, mostly the coral sand is your problem. I know slate hasn't been a problem for me and a quick search came up with this neat little product: http://www.graniteice.com/more/granite-ice-cubes.php which means that granite shouldn't be any problem at all in the aquarium.

[jm1212]

they can raise the pH, but the corals substrate is probalby raisng it the most.

[UCF-Planted]

When in doubt, try the acid drip test. Drop a little acid (Vinegar if you have a potent vinegar, or better would be a weak acid from a hardware store[but be very careful with acids]) and if it foams then your rock is not inert, and will affect pH. If it does not then you are good to go.

[Coler]

if anything granite, as an igneous rock, would be slightly acidic. However the release of chemicals is so slow as not to matter in your aquarium.

http://www.sydneycichlid.com/old_scp/rockfaq.html