New to African Cichlids
- Thread starter DAVIDFBT
- Start date
My tap ph is 7.2, I just need to raise it by about .8. I still haven't bought a GH/KH test kit yet, but I will when I get the tank filled.
When I filled the tank up with water and the rocks, the ph stayed the same at about 7.2. So the ph problem is solved for me, thanks Coler and pittbull.
no problem buddy just give the crushed coral, aragonite, sea shells what ever you choose some time to take affect and you will be fine most african mbuna will do fine in 7.2, 8.0 is better good luck my friend..
Well, I got about a pound of aragonite sand, and a pound of the crushed sea shell things, put them in a plastic cup with 1/2 cup of water to test how much they will raise the ph by. I have a cup of water with a handful of aragonite sand, a cup with a handful of seashells, and a cup with only water in it as a control. Right now, they all test 7.2 using the API ph liquid test. I will update the results tomorrow, and the next day to see how it goes.
Should I have a layer of crushed seashells in the 1/2 inch of space in the holes of my eggccrate? What I mean is like lay down the eggcrate, silicone it to bottom, (Already did that) then lay down the seashells in the hole of the eggcrate, arrange the rockwork, then add the aragonite sand. And for how long does aragonite buffer the tank water for? Does it eventually lose its efectiveness?
Should I have a layer of crushed seashells in the 1/2 inch of space in the holes of my eggccrate? What I mean is like lay down the eggcrate, silicone it to bottom, (Already did that) then lay down the seashells in the hole of the eggcrate, arrange the rockwork, then add the aragonite sand. And for how long does aragonite buffer the tank water for? Does it eventually lose its efectiveness?
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sounds like a plan just remember to use plenty of buffering substrate a cupfull here and there will not raise where you want it to be at, eggcrate with sea shells covering the whole bottom and arag poured over that would be enough and will take a few for its properties to work it should last for a long time but not 100% on its shelf life for it to take place or fizzle out so to say..
That is exactly what I am doing! :grinyes: The arag should last me about a couple of years though right? And does it "set up" like CC does?
Well, I set up the tank today with 10 lbs of crushed sea shells in between the holes of the eggcrate with pool filter sand on top. I ended up not using arag sand because it would have been too expensive. I layed down the base rocks after the sea shells where in and before the sand was on, so the cichlids shouldn't be able to dig them out and cause a rock slide. I only used about 3/4 of the rocks I got but I managed to make many caves in the rocks, some on the bottom, some in the middle, and some at the top. I don't have any pics right now because my camera batteries died and I can't find the extras.
I forgot to post the result of the experiment I did on post 76, the aragonite water got raised to 8.2, the seashells to 8.0 and the regular tap water stayed at 7.2.
I forgot to post the result of the experiment I did on post 76, the aragonite water got raised to 8.2, the seashells to 8.0 and the regular tap water stayed at 7.2.
