Is this true???

B

Bowserfins

AC Members
Feb 25, 2005
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Hey everyone,

Ive been keeping freshwater tanks for a few years and never ventured off into salwater or do I know anything about saltwater. Recently I bought used 125g. It came with two huge cats paws(15-20") and another large piece of coral that came from the ocean along with several small cats paws. They are dead or no longer living ow whatever, and I was thinking of using them as decor in my tank. But I heard from someone(not necessarily reliable source) that if I use them in freshwater they could kill my fish. Is this true??
 
yes.
 
Well, now, let's expand on that. Corals can alter the pH of your water, increasing it to above the 'happy' range. But, there are many fish that come from hard, basic water, and will love the water. And, most fish can be acclimated to a higher pH than recommended--those ranges are based on their natural conditions, and many captive bred fish are raised in waters much different than their native waters. So, while dumping the corals into an existing setup could cause a sudden shift in pH that's stressful for the fish, it could be used in a system if care is taken when purchasing and adding new fish. You'll also want to take care that you don't add fish that are prone to rubbing against items (think scaleless fish or FW eels), since corals can be very sharp and cause injuries.

I would encourage you to clean the item very well--SW items tend to be covered in hard coralline algae, and in FW it will die and rot, as will lots of other encrusting critters. Soak the rock for a few days, then use a clean brush to scrub it clean. You can test how big a change it will cause by testing the pH of the water before and after soaking.
 
Thanks Orion,

I keep all african cichlids anyways and the ph in my tanks sit somewhere between 8.0-8.6, I was looking for an explanation just like you gave. The person that originally told me that it would kill my fish didnt explain how or why? So I wasnt sure if it was going to raise my ph or some other chemicals from the ocean existed which would cause serious harm to freshwater fish.
I will take proper care of the corals and prepare them properly if I do decide to use them.

Thanks again
 
It will be fine in your setup, unlikely to cause any shift in the pH. In lower pH, the higher acidity breaks down the coral--in high pH water, this doesn't happen at all or happens very gradually. Many people use crushed coral in African cichlid tanks to help keep the pH raised, and this is the same, just intact. No problems, other than getting it clean. :)
 
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