African Cichlids: Crushed Coral Keeps the Ph Perfect???

C

cubano

Scarface of Aquaria
Apr 5, 2003
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If I were to start my first african tank, after years of keeping SA cichlids, what would the difference be?

Many people have told me I would just have to use crushed coral as the substrate and that would keep the pH right around 8.0 .. is this correct, or are their other major differences between the two?

also what africans are recommended for a 45g tank?

as you can tell by my recent influx of posts Ive aquired many new tanks and im deciding what to do with them.
 
To get a high ph you can use crushed corals/oyster shells/limestone. You don't have to use only this as a substrate, just mix it in with some sand or gravel. Don't use wood as it neutralizes ph.

You can keep a variety of species in a 45. maybe try some malawi mbuna. or tanganyikan shellies. or maybe some malawi peacocks, or haps. (not sure, maybe tank isn't big enough?). There are lots of ways to go.

I would suggest sticking to a certian lake though, don't mix lakes. Well, you could, but why would you want to? ;)
 
best put the coral/oyster etc in the filter works better that way as its exposed to more water and after a few months you can see the oyster shells breaking down
 
I used crushed coral and it tends to top pH out at about 7.8. Aragonite sand seems to go a bit higher... maybe about 8.0 or so. I use both as a substrate.

Jim
 
I used African Cichlid Mix, that came pre-made in a bag. it's cheaper to make your own, but this is nice and has a good sized grain to it. It takes a while to change water ph so i added baking soda in the mean time. I also add baking soda to new water going into the tank. works great.
 
I use magnesium sulfate and baking soda in my tank, but it's a little tiring getting the right measure for the ratio of magnesium sulfate, baking soda, and water.

As for fish, I think you have quite a few options. I am partial to Tanganyikans (and I don't know a lot about Malawis except they are cichlids, most get to a decent size, and they come from the Rift Lakes), so I am only going to make recommendations on Tangs.

-All those of the Julidochromis genus (just not more than one species as they can interbreed)
-Neolamprologus leleupi
-Neolamprologus brichardi
-Altolamprologus comprissiceps or A. calvus
-shellies
-Paracyprichromis nigripinnis

These are some of the guys I looked at for my tank.

HTH
 
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