If i were to add some rocks to my tank would it raise the alkilinity of the water? I had my water tested and it was a little below normal.
Do rocks raise the akilinity of the water?
- Thread starter cichlidcichlid
- Start date
most rocks are fine but some do do things to the water. i cant remember off hand what types of rocks do what. i hope someone will come in and point it out. its a good idea to put rocks into a bucket and fill it with water for a week or so and then test the water to make sure nothing has changed. another way to do is is scratch the rock and then add nitrate #2 and look for a reaction.
soft rocks are much more likely to affect your pH as opposed to inert rocks like granite.
for example, limestone is often used a a buffer in many tanks with alk. needs, like cichlids.
off the top of my head...
most softer rocks will dissolve chemicals (could be good or bad, but why risk it...) into your water
and by soft, try taking somethign like a piece of quartz and scratching the surface of the rock in question. if the quartz scratches the rock, the rock has a hardness of less than 7 on the harness scale NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH pH OR ALKALINITY IN ANY WAY
on the flipside, for all buffering purposes, it would be best to add some limestone to your tank, but please dont use crushed coral (yes, it affects FW too)
Good luck!
B.W.
for example, limestone is often used a a buffer in many tanks with alk. needs, like cichlids.
off the top of my head...
most softer rocks will dissolve chemicals (could be good or bad, but why risk it...) into your water
and by soft, try taking somethign like a piece of quartz and scratching the surface of the rock in question. if the quartz scratches the rock, the rock has a hardness of less than 7 on the harness scale NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH pH OR ALKALINITY IN ANY WAY
on the flipside, for all buffering purposes, it would be best to add some limestone to your tank, but please dont use crushed coral (yes, it affects FW too)
Good luck!
B.W.
I'm a serious rockhound in addition to my addiction of fish and aquariums (much to hubby's frustration) - and of course all my tanks HAVE to have some of my beautiful exotic rocks in them. I just do the bucket test before putting them in the tank - put them in a bucket of clean tap water, test the ph that day, and a couple of days later. If they have only risen just a tiny amount, figure with the amount of water in your tank vs. the ratio of water in the bucket and pwc's, you're ok. If your ph in the bucket goes crazy, best choose other rocks. I had one kind of rock I liked that made the ph go from 7.8 to 8.2 so I passed on it. Oh, just put enough water to cover the rocks. Good luck! Happy rock choosing 