Decomposed granite

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sumthin fishy

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Anyone ever use this? I was going to do play sand, but as I was looking it up, I saw this stuff next to it. I kind of like the lighter color, but maybe it's too white. Might do a mix of the two. Looking around the forum, people have asked about bigger pieces of granite and it seems it wont affect the water perimeters. Not sure if it being this fine would change that. Also, I worry it may be too rough for the shellies I want. Thoughts?
 

wesleydnunder

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How was it "decomposed"? If the granulation process just involves crushing then I wouldn't be too concerned. If, however, it was done with a chemical then I wouldn't mess with it.

I'd have to see and touch the stuff to determine whether I thought it would be ok for shellies or cories. If in doubt, pool filter sand works great.

Mark
 

wesleydnunder

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OK...looks like it decomposes due to weathering. It may be crushed to obtain smaller grain sizes. It'll have silica sand and some feldspar and clay as well so it may cloud as fish disturb it. The silica portion will be inert but the clay will likely effect TDS and possibly ph and hardness.

Mark
 

sumthin fishy

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Thanks. On a somewhat related note, I may have found a place that can get me the A. compressiceps (sp.) shell sumbu! Most likely will be WC or F1. He said he has gotten 1 pair and they sold fast. That being said, I'm not sure my tap ph of 7.4 will be enough. Will the effect if any be up or down? Otherwise, what's the safest way to get my ph up? I've almost always done SA cichlids, so only really concerned myself with lowering ph.

What did I get myself into? lol
 
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SnakeIce

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A bit of coral sand in your substrate will help increase the tds for the shell dwellers. For that matter any of the usual rocks that wouldn't pass the acid test usually used to exclude ph altering rocks from a soft water tank would also be useful. Texas holey rock is one that also has natural spaces in the rock for the fish to hide in.
 

wesleydnunder

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For WC or F1 you may have to precondition your water prior to partials. Lake Tanganyika has a ph from 8.6 up to 9.5 and a GH of 11-17 dh and KH of 16-19 dh. Your tank is only 30 gallons so you may be able adjust your values in a separate receptacle (I used a 40 gallon plastic trashcan) for your partials without too much hassle. Many people will tell you that adjusting the water is unnecessary but for wild fish that come from such an extreme environment it may be the difference between keeping them alive and healthy or losing them in a frustrating failure. There are off-the-shelf additives for adjusting the GH, KH and PH that work well. Kent's makes a good product. Or, you can make your own.

Using coral sand in the tank will help keep the ph buffered up between water changes, but if your tapwater is too soft then your water chemistry will yoyo between partials and your fish will suffer.

We always desire to keep the chemistry of the tankwater as close to our tap as possible in the event we need to do a large-scale partial. In some cases, as in wild tangs, that may not be the best for the fish if the water isn't suitable for them.

I'd question the seller of the fish...what are the parameters of the water the fish are housed in? F1s may have been raised in more flexible conditions.

I'd also keep limestone rock in the tank, like SnakeIce suggested. It will help keep the high values stable as well. Texas Holey rock is one of my favorites for tang tanks.

Mark
 
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sumthin fishy

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I'd question the seller of the fish...what are the parameters of the water the fish are housed in? F1s may have been raised in more flexible conditions.



Mark
I've been planning on doing just that. I've just found this store and after talking with the owner for about 5 minutes, he seems to know his stuff. I don't plan on ordering for a while, so I'm going to visit from time to time to see if his shop is up to snuff. :) Good call too on the change water. I normally wouldn't fool with it much, but as you said, WC is a different ball game. Hopefully I get a mated pair. $20 per is tough to get 6 and hope for 2 to pair off. Thanks again for the help!
 
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