1. Identify what pH you'd like to target... Lets use 7.0 for starters..Make
your ritual waterchanges as normal, possibly adding baking soda to buffer up
to 7.6 or so...(btw, 7.0 is ok for 90% of fish), since your doing weely w/c,
it won't run out in a week. That should stabilize your buffer, and help
maintain a rock solid pH... if it does drop, try option 2.

already tried that and it does drop



2. Add some crushed coral to a used pair of pantyhose and drop it in the
back of your filter(after rinsing thoroughly). Double bagging might make it
too hard to leech, so maybe one single wrapping will suffice...




i bought the coral and put it in and old stocking, but i have taken it
out while i treat the ich for two reasons, first just in case it
absorbs the medicine, and also because i have to do a w/c every four
days anyway while i treat the fish......but i will put it back and see
if it works.



What that will aid in, is to release or dissolve a bit at a time and help
keep your pH more stable than sodium bicarb...and, btw, snails use calcium
bicarb


i didnt know that...thanks!


, that's what their shells are made of, so they can't really 'rob' you
of anything....


is calcium bicarbonate not a ph buffer then?....it must be present in
the tap water to enable the snails to grow their shells in the first
place......the coral is made of the same compound right? so that will
be a direct replacement for the useage of the snails?


you could take a look at them to see if the tips of their
shells are turning white, that would mean there is a shortage in the first
place...



no, they are lovely and healthy!



chris