What pH adjuster do you use ?

[Alan Silver]

Hello,

I'm just about to set up my first cichlid tank (thanx to loads of useful
info here a few months ago). A few people mentioned using a pH adjuster
for the water as ours is neutral and pretty soft out of the tap.

Anyone any recommendations ? I'm in the UK if that makes any difference
as to what products are available. I am planning on keeping Malawis.
What pH should I aim for ?

TIA

--
Alan Silver

[Bob]

usually baking soda and epsom salt will do the trick.
aim for about 7.8-8

you could also buy malawi rift salts but that's expensive


"Alan Silver"
> wrote in
message ...
> Hello,
>
> I'm just about to set up my first cichlid tank (thanx to loads of useful
> info here a few months ago). A few people mentioned using a pH adjuster
> for the water as ours is neutral and pretty soft out of the tap.
>
> Anyone any recommendations ? I'm in the UK if that makes any difference
> as to what products are available. I am planning on keeping Malawis.
> What pH should I aim for ?
>
> TIA
>
> --
> Alan Silver
>

[Bob K.]

Epsom salts in soft water isn't the only additive
to soft water to make it harder
Add non-iodized salt if you must add any salt...

BUT - what kind of cichlids is the right question!!
Central American cichlids like harder water, but
nearly all do fine in any water.
South American generally - soft and acidic
West African, are different from the Aftrican
Lakes: Malawi, Tanganynikas, Victoria, which
should be alkaline, but not necessisarly hard.

The main thing is to find out what the cichlids you
will get are LIVING & BREEDING IN NOW ..
Tank raised fish are more acclimated to whatever
local conditions are. I.E. I have all my Central
Americans (several Acheocentrus sp) in my - from
the tap - soft water, and they're doing excellent!
(growing & spawning)

Adjusting pH is ususally a lost cause, you're
better off getting fish that like your pH .. and
a Neutral pH will be fine of 90% of your cichlids.

Bob

>usually baking soda and epsom salt will do the trick.
>aim for about 7.8-8
>
>you could also buy malawi rift salts but that's expensive
>
>
>"Alan Silver"
> wrote in
>message ...
>> Hello,
>>
>> I'm just about to set up my first cichlid tank (thanx to loads of useful
>> info here a few months ago). A few people mentioned using a pH adjuster
>> for the water as ours is neutral and pretty soft out of the tap.
>>
>> Anyone any recommendations ? I'm in the UK if that makes any difference
>> as to what products are available. I am planning on keeping Malawis.
>> What pH should I aim for ?
>>

[NetMax]

"Alan Silver"
> wrote
in message ...
> Hello,
>
> I'm just about to set up my first cichlid tank (thanx to loads of
useful
> info here a few months ago). A few people mentioned using a pH adjuster
> for the water as ours is neutral and pretty soft out of the tap.
>
> Anyone any recommendations ? I'm in the UK if that makes any difference
> as to what products are available. I am planning on keeping Malawis.
> What pH should I aim for ?
>
> TIA
>
> --
> Alan Silver

For gravel, use crushed coral. This will naturally buffer your water,
and increase your pH & hardness. Alternately (or as well), use rockwork
which leaches calcium into the water (tufa, dolomite, aragonite etc).
Using natural products is IMHO the best pH adjuster as it's gradual and
will not stress the fish with any rapid changes. Fine tuning pH is
usually not necessary as most fish acclimate to non-extreme conditions.
If you were having trouble breeding them, you might want to tweak it
further, but otherwise, it's better to keep them at your source water
conditions (with a little buffering from natural stones in the tank), and
keep to regular water changes and follow proper filter maintenance (with
some redundancy using dual filters or dual filter media). JMO

ps: I have soft water at work and currently carrying eggs are : Rusty's,
Zebra's, Nyasi's, Nyererei's, Kenyii's, Johanni's, and Ahli's (electric
Blues). I've got baby Labs and 3 generations of Brichardis and counting,
(all on crushed coral). No luck with the Leleupis so far (even tried
hard water). The C. Moori did breed in hard water, and trying to get
some action out of the Julidochromis marlieri next. All this to say,
that even for spawning, they are often not too particular about the
hardness.

NetMax

[Alan Silver]

>> I'm just about to set up my first cichlid tank (thanx to loads of
>useful
>> info here a few months ago). A few people mentioned using a pH adjuster
>> for the water as ours is neutral and pretty soft out of the tap.
>>
>> Anyone any recommendations ? I'm in the UK if that makes any difference
>> as to what products are available. I am planning on keeping Malawis.
>> What pH should I aim for ?
>
>For gravel, use crushed coral. This will naturally buffer your water,
>and increase your pH & hardness.

Already got that ;-)

> Alternately (or as well), use rockwork
>which leaches calcium into the water (tufa, dolomite, aragonite etc).

I was going to, but they are all too light. I wanted darker rocks to
contrast the fish.

>Using natural products is IMHO the best pH adjuster as it's gradual and
>will not stress the fish with any rapid changes.

Agreed and if this is possible, I will defintely do it that way.

> Fine tuning pH is
>usually not necessary as most fish acclimate to non-extreme conditions.
>If you were having trouble breeding them, you might want to tweak it
>further, but otherwise, it's better to keep them at your source water
>conditions (with a little buffering from natural stones in the tank), and
>keep to regular water changes and follow proper filter maintenance (with
>some redundancy using dual filters or dual filter media). JMO

That's what I like to hear !!

>ps: I have soft water at work and currently carrying eggs are : Rusty's,
>Zebra's, Nyasi's, Nyererei's, Kenyii's, Johanni's, and Ahli's (electric
>Blues). I've got baby Labs and 3 generations of Brichardis and counting,
>(all on crushed coral). No luck with the Leleupis so far (even tried
>hard water). The C. Moori did breed in hard water, and trying to get
>some action out of the Julidochromis marlieri next. All this to say,
>that even for spawning, they are often not too particular about the
>hardness.

OK, thanx for the comments. I should actually check with the breeder
from whom I'm buying the fish as his water supply comes from the same
reservoir as ours does, so I can just do whatever he does (if anything).

--
Alan Silver

[Alan Silver]

In article >, Bob K.
> writes
> The main thing is to find out what the cichlids you
> will get are LIVING & BREEDING IN NOW ..

I didn't think of this when posting. I'm getting the fish from a local
breeder, so I'll just ask him what he does and do the same.

Thanx

--
Alan Silver