JoandWilly Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Just tested all our tanks, most of the malawi ones are ranging from 7.5 to 7.8 and our tang's tank is at 8.0 but one tank is at 5.7 (tested it twice) i was completely shocked since that was the tank that usually always had the best pH, All our tanks have curshed coral either in them or in the cannister filters, and some of them have argonite (the white sand) in them, whats another way to boost them pH up a bit. Without using chemicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy_t Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 stick in a few chunks of limestone - completely natural and it lasts a lifetime! (You can buy it from Garden Centre's/Landscapers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faran Posted July 5, 2006 Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 Make a fake background out of concrete (and poly, o course). Will keep your pH high for a long long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandWilly Posted July 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2006 How much does limestone change the pH by, cause if it keeps it in the 8-9 range i'll build all the rockery out of limestone rocks. But dont really want a pH anything greater than 9, that'll be just a bit to high for malawi's. I think it could be the rocks in the tanks at the moment that could be lowering the pH as the tanks that dont have those rocks in it have a higher pH that the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy_t Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Well in my 70l tank I've got 2 small ish bits (about 5x5x5cm ish lumps I guess) And the pH is at a constant 8.2 I guess you could make all of the rockwork out of limestone, but I don't really like the way it is so white - so I've got my limestone hidden behind my rocks but in a place where it gets plenty of water flow to keep its buffering properties working... How big is your tank?! Keep in mind its not the weight of limestone thats improtant but the surface area, so I guess you'll just have to put some in and see what the pH stabalises at... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandWilly Posted July 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 our tang tank is 115L and our malawi is about 350L (and way to small) but yeah might just put some in the cannister filters or something, will sort something out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy_t Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 yeah that sounds like it would work - if you want small bits for a filter, most garden centres will have a bag of 'Daltons lime chip'. only about $12 for 29l!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted July 6, 2006 Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Bit bizarre that one tank has dropped & the others haven't. The reason the tank has dropped if the water isn't soft out of the tank is through the additions of acids into a tank will lower the pH in the tank water. These acids come from several sources, the primary ones being: (1) excess carbon dioxide (CO2) from respiration caused by lack of sufficient gas exchange (2) nitric acid from biological filtration (nitrification), and (3) organic acids from metabolic wastes. The generally accepted "tried and true" method for stabilizing pH is still performing regular partial water changes in your tank. This not only refreshes the natural buffers, but also restores the trace minerals in your tank water. Of course, reducing the causes of the drop in pH is always wise. Removing all uneaten foods and fish waste from the tank on a regular basis will go a long way toward retarding the pH drop. When you do water changes you could try adding some epsom salts, bicarb soda & a little salt. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/buffer_recipe.php ps; as a note if you are going to raise the ph, eg; by buffers always do this with a water change, & raise the water gradually. Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoandWilly Posted July 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2006 Well there was only 1 fish in the tank and was only feed the minimal amount of food twice a day, we do have a problem of the tap water her being extremely soft and can range in pH from 5.5 up to 9 over a day. I prefer not to add things to the water in ways of chemicals would prefer to add natural substance's to the tank's to get the pH up, i've found the coral rock is good but i've found it buffers the water more than raising the pH. So i'm gonna get some limestone and try that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted July 7, 2006 Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 umm bicarb soda, epsom salts... are part of the chemical componds of the rift lakes, these chemicals are in their natural habitat. It is very hard to overdose a tank with bicarb soda. Can't be that bad, if I used to use it all the time in banana cakes. ps; Soft water is referring to the water having low carbonate hardness. The ph is different. What did shocked me is the huge variance in ph of your water supply. I have never heard of that much of a swing before. Thats a real concern, :-? If I was you then get a good test kit that will tests gh, kh & ph. This below is a simple rule of thumb. If either alkalinity or general hardness falls below the optimum level it can be reversed by either adding a calciferous source such as crushed oyster shell to the filter or adding more buffer to the water. If alkalinity is too low then add a carbonate buffer. If general hardness is too low then add a calcium or magnesium buffer. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/hardness.php ps; I have using epsom, bicarb...for years with dramas at all, probably stupid on my behave but I havent used a test kit in years. Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanksman Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 we do have a problem of the tap water her being extremely soft and can range in pH from 5.5 up to 9 over a day. - your not serious are you? Is that your fresh tap water Ph your talking about? Must be the waikato sewage in your water :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishy_t Posted July 8, 2006 Report Share Posted July 8, 2006 So yeah - use Limestone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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