fish_tank0311 Posted July 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 Yea yea i actually had a convo with my dad not long ago about asking questions on trademe, and the seller will just tell you what you want to hear, so i am bearing that in mind, but i did believe this guy he did seem genuine in what he was saying, as he helped me with quite a few things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REEVESTA Posted July 24, 2010 Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 Yeah the guys at hollywood kno their fish :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_tank0311 Posted July 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2010 They SUUUUURE do. So im thinking about mixing silica sand with aragonite, theres a 10 litre bucket on 'that auction site' which is silica sand and 10% aragonite, but it has been used before, so would i be good if i were to buy maybe just 2 little bags of aragonite extra and add it to that bucket, would that then be fine to keep the water hardness up in a 90 litre tank? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REEVESTA Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Yeah and maybe more silica sand aswell. Its good to keep some spare sand as small amounts can get sucked up during water changes. I have coral sand in my big tank and i just put chunks of coral behind the rock work to buffer the water in my others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_tank0311 Posted July 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 I just been to buy some, and i bought some charcoal grit, and some other white grit, both quite fine, about the same as aragonite. The grits i bought had a pH of 9.5, but i also bought some big limestone rocks which had a pH of 6, which should counter the pH, hopefully get it to about 8 ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REEVESTA Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 I dont think limestone will counter it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 how did you measure the ph of the grit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_tank0311 Posted July 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Um dont know just the guy at the shop had a big list of all the different rocks and gravels pH levels. I do believe limestone will counter it. Also the black grit is a pH of 7 which will also help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Solids do not have a pH, only liquids. My thoughts are that the grit will bring your pH up to 9.5 while the limestone rock will only raise it to 6. The limestone rock may bring the level down a bit from 9.5. You will need to test it to find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_tank0311 Posted July 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Yeah i will keep an eye on it. The guy there did believe that it would work. Not sure about solids and their pHs though, but aragonite brings pH up to 8 or whatever, so whos saying limestone cant bring it down? Im just hoping it will work, also that the limestone will make the kH hard enough etc. Can someone provide some hardness measurements on what it should be? Also whats the difference between kH, gH, and dH? Thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 I'm pretty sure that if you use the search button (on the right hand side of this page) and type in kh etc you will find all the information and discussions you can possibly need to help you with this part of your question. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_tank0311 Posted July 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Wont let me search kH because it doesnt contain enough letters?? :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 test kit is the only way you never know your tap water may already be good enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Adrienne different substrates can alter the pH. When we first started fish keeping we killed large numbers of guppies as our pH kept soaring up to 8 and we would add pH Down (as per shop instructions) but next day it woluld be up again. Poor fish suffered in our ignorance! Turned out the substrate was meant for African set-ups to keep the pH at 8.0 :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_tank0311 Posted July 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 test kit is the only way you never know your tap water may already be good enough No no im on tank water which is 7 pH and like 1 kH. So can someone help me with the difference between kH, gH, dH and what they should be at, and how to get it to that level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firenzenz Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Taking a step back- the discussion about a 90 lt tank. First thing that i would add that in all honesty i don't think the ph level in these fish's tank is a determining factor in the wellness, or breeding conditioning-the only excetion would be 'wildcaught' perhaps. If 'growing out and selling' is part of program, then 90 ltr is a poor option in tank size for this purpose, or is forming a group of 3-4 individuals of a fish that is a community/harem breeder. This tank and with E yellows as inhabitants would be better served by constant and frequent small water changes. Not to disparage the PH discussion, but I wouldn't see it as a major factor here.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 I realise that the type of substrate can alter the pH but I can't understand the following The grits i bought had a pH of 9.5, but i also bought some big limestone rocks which had a pH of 6, which should counter the pH, hopefully get it to about 8 ish. Given that these are solids which do not have a pH there is no guarantees that this is what the pH will be after they are added to the tank. I would think it will be dependent on the quantity. Both of them will certainly alter the pH once added to water and heres hoping it does end up at about 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Everything has a pH. our skin is a good example. but to measure pH you need for the solid to be in a liquid and that solid will change the pH of the liquid. Typically you would use deionised water to get the most accurate result for a pH test, and measure the effect the solid has on the pH of the deionised water. Basically you have acids , neutral and bases / alkaline. without going into the nitty gritty of pH and how to change it if you have basic water (high pH) and want it to go lower you need to add an acid (low pH) or something acidic like driftwood. pH 7 is neutral. Adding a base to basic water will not really lower the pH unless you reduce the amount of base in the solute, thereby altering the concentration of H+ and OH- ions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_tank0311 Posted July 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 I realise that the type of substrate can alter the pH but I can't understand the following Given that these are solids which do not have a pH there is no guarantees that this is what the pH will be after they are added to the tank. I would think it will be dependent on the quantity. Both of them will certainly alter the pH once added to water and heres hoping it does end up at about 8. Yeah i did think about that and it is a longshot of it ending up at 8, but if not then i can take it from there, weather it be to add some spare aragonite from my marine, or to buy more limestone, or whatever. Yes i will be sure to do the water changes, because i do understand the fact the tank is in fact a bit on the small side for these fish. Also firenzenz, not a problem about changing discussion, this is a discussion about the whole tank and peoples opinions. absolutely fine. Yeah i wasnt so sure about pH being such a biggy, but you know, i guess its just best to give the fish what they want. Can someone help me with the difference between kH, gH, dH and what they should be at, and how to get it to that level. ALSO i would like to add some red jewels, what do you guys think about a pair of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Taking a step back- the discussion about a 90 lt tank. First thing that i would add that in all honesty i don't think the ph level in these fish's tank is a determining factor in the wellness, or breeding conditioning-the only excetion would be 'wildcaught' perhaps. If 'growing out and selling' is part of program, then 90 ltr is a poor option in tank size for this purpose, or is forming a group of 3-4 individuals of a fish that is a community/harem breeder. This tank and with E yellows as inhabitants would be better served by constant and frequent small water changes. Not to disparage the PH discussion, but I wouldn't see it as a major factor here.. i believe sensible opinions of the small tank with e yellows not being suitable is lost now firenzenz. as for making the conditions suitable for them in their apartment, in my experience ph is not a major factor in their well being or breeding abilty as long as it is in the 7's or higher & is stable. i had mine in around 7.3 or so IIRC & they did very well, i have arogonite with shell pieces as a substrate which raised the tap ph slightly. i am currently on tank water, concrete tanks with a ph of around 7 which raises to around 7.2 or so in the tank with the substrate & the tangs also do well. as long as the ph is stable & not too far from their wild requirements they will adjust, if you start messing with it & it swings you are going to have big issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_tank0311 Posted July 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2010 OK now can someone please tell me about kH dH and gH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted July 26, 2010 Report Share Posted July 26, 2010 a bit of reading here fishtank http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/CO2/hardn ... frank.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 26, 2010 Report Share Posted July 26, 2010 TBH you are better off searching for water chemistry on here or even the internet rather than making people type out heaps of stuff you can find yourself with a little bit of effort.. I will help you out by linking you to a good place to start http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/c ... y_list.php Yellows in your tank might be ok short term but I would do at least 6 and thin it out to 1m and however many females you end up with, the suggestion of smaller numbers is not very good there will be less fish to spread the aggression out on and unless you say started out with 1m and 3 females it isn't very likely to work long term and the fish will suffer. Kribs would go ok with the yellows but again you are limited by your tank size I would be tempted to reconsider until you can buy a big enough tank to house the fish you want, and maybe setup a really nice yellow/peacock/dem tank that would make a great display.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish_tank0311 Posted July 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2010 I dont understand. First you say to get 6 and then keep a male and the females and sell the other males, but then then you say not to get a male and 3 females??????????????????????????????????? I dont get it??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted July 26, 2010 Report Share Posted July 26, 2010 ..Yellows in your tank might be ok short term but I would do at least 6 and thin it out to 1m and however many females you end up with, the suggestion of smaller numbers is not very good there will be less fish to spread the aggression out on and unless you say started out with 1m and 3 females it isn't very likely to work long term and the fish will suffer... I don't get it either I suggested 6 (or even more) to thin them out to males and multiple females or 1m and 3 females.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.