Limestone chunks will dissolve very slowly... some crushed coral (a few tablespoons for starters) in a nylon stocking, stuck in the filter, would be a good start.
Jim
Jim
Ph crash
- Thread starter ouch
- Start date
It has not been said yet but if your water has low DKH and you are doing regular water changes you are reducing the effects of the crushed coral. I suggest you put some crushed coral in your change water (as well as your tank )for a couple of days so that you can get some buffering in the new water.
This also has not been mentioned yet but the same processes that reduce's ammonia to nitrate produce hydrogen ions, which in return acidify the water. In water that contain few buffers (ions that help stabilize pH by combining with excess hydrogen or hydroxyl ions) these buffers are used up quickly and the excess hydrogen ions reduce the ph as the nitrate increases, in well buffered water the same process occurs only that the buffers are more plentiful and the ph stays relatively the same until all the buffering is used up ,then ph will drop suddenly creating a ph crash. So it is important to keep doing water changes to take nitrates out and if the water is naturaly low in buffers add buffers to the water by the methods previously mentioned.
This also has not been mentioned yet but the same processes that reduce's ammonia to nitrate produce hydrogen ions, which in return acidify the water. In water that contain few buffers (ions that help stabilize pH by combining with excess hydrogen or hydroxyl ions) these buffers are used up quickly and the excess hydrogen ions reduce the ph as the nitrate increases, in well buffered water the same process occurs only that the buffers are more plentiful and the ph stays relatively the same until all the buffering is used up ,then ph will drop suddenly creating a ph crash. So it is important to keep doing water changes to take nitrates out and if the water is naturaly low in buffers add buffers to the water by the methods previously mentioned.
I should learn to read more carefuly.ashdavid said:
Adding crushed coral to the water used when changing is not a bad idea, but it's a bit of a pain if you don't want to store/age water.
As long as you're not doing daily 50% water changes, crushed coral in a filter bag will provide enough buffering to keep pH stable. It doesn't take a lot.
If you're trying to maintain high pH, heavily buffered water (as is often the case in african cichlid tanks) then your point is even more accurate. Those tanks often need some supplement to boost KH and pH.
HTH,
JIm
Thanks Jim. I was thinking of just puting the crushed coral in the replacment water until everything settles down.It seemed like ouch was doing a lot of water changes and reducing the effect of the coral. But you do make a good point.
