somethin fishy Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 I was thinking of using some limestone chips in one of the canisters of my external filter to hopefully keep my PH high. Any thoughts on is or this a silly idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 I was thinking of using some limestone chips in one of the canisters of my external filter to hopefully keep my PH high. Any thoughts on is or this a silly idea? I don't have any experience with africans but I don't see why not, in theory it sounds good but you might need quite a decent amount of lime to raise the ph high? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcon021 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Yup that will work but do it slowly rather than having a big spike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somethin fishy Posted July 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Awesome thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 what is your ph now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somethin fishy Posted July 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 I think its 7.4 I put some limestone ships in the filter and added some to the coral sand subtrate. Dosent seem to have moved over night. Will give it another day and see how it looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 I've found that limestone and coral are great for maintaining a high pH, but need a bit of a boost to raise it initially, but then again slow and steady is the name of the game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somethin fishy Posted July 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Do you think it might be worth putting a bit of backing soda in with the water changes? To try and get it up initialy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F15hguy Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 as long as it is VERY small raises at a time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nudge Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 You can do but as mentined change it slowly as a sudden drastic ph change will freak out your fish. If your tank has been 7.4 for a while i would be inclined to leave it as it is, biggest thing with africans and ph is to keep the ph stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 My Africans lived in, and bred, at 7.0. The breeder I got them from initially also kept all his Africans in 7.0 as that was what came out of his taps and he said he did not want to muck about altering the pH as he was breeding on a large scale and doing many water changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 i have always kept my africans in a ph of around 7.2 or 7.4 as they were the conditions that came out of the tap so i wouldn't bother messing around with it at 7.4, it's fine as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamstar99 Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 I keep mine at about 8 and have have quite a lot of limestone in my tank. I still use baking soda, epsom salts to keep my KH, GH around 10. Dont expect the limestone to do alot. It basically just leaching calcium as it slowly breaks down. I like the higher Ph as its a little more natural but like the others have said they are happy at any level of Alkali water as long as its stable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smidey Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 if you do start changing things you run the risk of it going pair shaped if you don't or can't keep it going perfectly. If you leave it as it is it will be constant and won't change dramatically. If you ad buffers like limestone, crushed marble or shells etc it will be fine as they don't change things much and what they do is gradual so the opposite is also gradual. Adding baking soda can have good gains and easily have good losses so I choose to leave it stable as it's far easier (involves no work at all) and safer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somethin fishy Posted July 15, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Thanks for the advice. I might just leave it and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkfish Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 crushed coral in the filter and under the sand ( didn't like the look of it with plants..) worked for me. I was on tank water with no hardness and ph around 6.5, took it up to 7.8 for my africans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 monkfish, please add your location to your profile as it helps people to help you if you need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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