kiwiplymouth

Thanks for that. Perhaps i'm thick but i still dont understand how i can put in water with a ph of 7.2 and have it rise to 8.0 within a few days. i have plenty of wood and no shell etc

Cheers. Can you give me an idea of how much per 100L

There is no shell, limestone or marble chips in the tank

Thanks Andrew129, I have just completed a 50% water change. ph is now 7.4 I have plenty of wood in the tank. I was wondering that as this is a relatively new tank and the nitrates are still low i.e approx 5ppm if this can cause ph spikes. I was still hoping that there was a way to increase my tanks buffering capabilities without chemicals. Is ph 7.0 lock a natural product?

My water supply has a ph of 7.2 and the tank has spiked to 8.0 today due to lack of buffering im thinking. Im not wanting to raise my ph, just stabilize it. Its a 350l community tank with angles,barbs,tetra's,cae, gae's, clown loaches, red tailed shark, gourami's, plecs, bristlnose and swords.

My water supply has a Gh of 5 dGh and Kh of 3 dKh. I want to increase these levels to improve my buffering without using chemicals. I was thinking if using either marble chips, limestone or shell grit. Is any one of these products better than the other and should i add it to the tank or to the filter. Cheers

I'm thinking of adding a sandstone sculpture (approx 1 foot high) to my tank for asthetic value and to help with buffering. Am I on the right track or is this going to lower my ph too much?

Cheers. it sound like the guy who has been giving me all this advise (a well known nelson pet shop) should not be listened to. It just goes to show that getting advise from more than one person and doing your homework can save a lot of trouble in the future.

I was just wondering if adding some of my outside pond water to my indoor tank to speed up the cycling process would be a good idea and if so what percentage of pond water should i use?

Thanks for all the info regards my previous thread. I am a little concerned re: the use of tank water and have the option to use river water from the riwaka river. We are only about 1km from the source of the riwaka river which comes from a hole in the side of the takaka hills after filtering for a month or so through limestone caverns. By the time the water gets to us it has passed by a few farms and orchards so i suppose a few unwanted chemicals may have entered the water. The riwaka river is full of trout and native lobsters. Would this be a better option for use in my tanks over tank water especially in the winter when we have the fire going? Cheers

I hadn't considered that issue, Thanks i will keep that in mind.

I thought that this would be the case. My number 1 concern was getting the tank set up and getting water quality to an acceptable level. The next step was to research suitable fish for a community tank. Can anyone recommend some good combinations for a community tank?

I would like to create a community tank that is as diverse as possible. However this may be a little nieve and obviosly my water conditions and chemistry will dictate what is possible. I did have angels, discus, killies, sharks and catfish in mind.

The tank has not yet arrived as i am still negotiating with couriers to get it down here from Auckland. I cant tell you as yet what pumps, filters etc it has but it will be what aquarium fx in Auckland normally use. My water tanks are not coated with anything so i expect that the pH will need some attention. I did read somewhere that rainwater requires less ageing than tap water. Is this correct. I'm trying to get all the info that i can before the tank arrives. Cheers

Hi Guys, I have just purchased my first tank and as i am not someone who does things by halves i have ended up with a tank that is of tubular design and is 700mm in diameter and approx 700mm high and approx 270 litres (i Think). As I live in the country my water supply is from rainwater that is stored in concrete tanks. Is there anything that i should be aware of when using this water to initially fill the tank and when i do partial changes of the water? I would also like to know the recommended number of smallish fish that i should first introduce into the tank when i start cycling it and what would be a safe stocking rate for a tank of this size? Any help and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.