constant ph

B

Ben

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Dec 5, 2002
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im about ready to put tang cichlids in my tank after cycling it using the fishless method. I went to my LFS and they recommened that instead of using chemicals i should put oriental rock and barnical clusters in to raise the ph. I have coral sand in too. I put them in last night and tested this morning and i have a ph of 7.2 . they said that when i did water changes i should just put normal dechlorinated water in and let the ph go up whislst in the tank. is this right, or how to i get it to and keep it aroun 8~8.5 cheers
ben
 
Can you post your GH and KH? We need them to know how to get the pH up.
 
sorry, i dont actually know,is it vital? i know that my tap water ph is neutral though, do i need to buy these test kits to make regular checks or could i get my lfs to test it as a one off?
 
If you can afford them, test kits will make it much easier to keep track of your water parameters. If you're trying to save money, I'd consider getting these tests, from most important to least:

pH
KH
nitrate
ammonia
nitrite
GH

Since you're modifying your water, you really need the pH and KH tests. Nitrate is also handy to have, because it will help you know when it's time to change water. Since you've already cycled, ammonia/nitrite tests are less useful; perhaps taking water samples to the LFS to be tested for these as needed would suffice. GH may or may not be necessary; african cichlids like very hard water, but I'm more concerned with KH than GH for these fish.

HTH,
Jim
 
Hi
I was having similar problems,I was told to put in 1/2 lb of crushed coral for every gallon. It worked good for me and my tap water was neutral too. My ph is right around 8 maybe slightly higher and all my fish are ok
 
How hard do africans like there water? I didn't know that was important to test for.My fish are ok, but i guess i better get a test kit.I have livingstoni,rusty trios ,electric yellows, socoloffs blue, and peacocks. these are africans aren't they?
 
Tracyj027, adding only crushed coral, it would be hard to make your water too hard or too alkaline. I would bet your water is just fine; your LFS might be willing to test KH, GH and pH for you for free. If you get some wacky readings, then you might want to consider getting some tests and keeping a closer eye on these parameters.

Jim
 
cheers for the response. I have
nitrite,
nitrate
ammonia
pH
test kits, i havent got the gh or the kh ones. i dont really understand what they measure? after adding my oriental rock, in combination with my coral sand, my ph is now 8 and will hopefully stay stable at this level.
 
kh and gh are measures of the hardness or dissolved metals in your water. it is the levels of these (mainly kh) that determines your final ph value. the coral and oriental rock raise your kh that in turn buffers your water's ph up. malawis like ph of 7.8-8.2. tangs like ph of 9 or higher many tag keepers like top keep it at 9.5.

here are some links further explaining gh, ph and kh.

http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquasource/hardwater.shtml

http://www.drhelm.com/aquarium/chemistry.html

http://fp.marksfish.f9.co.uk/fish_plants/lowering_hardness.htm

http://aquaticconcepts.thekrib.com/Articles/Water_Chemistry.htm

hope this helps
 
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