dripping water into crushed coral first for ph stability?

MEDHBSI · Nov 24, 2014

So I want to re install my drip because my rays dirty the water so was creating high nitrates and I was thinking of dripping into about 40lb of crushed coral with a mesh bulkhead at the bottom to drain into the tank.

*Any thoughts on this?
*The reason i want to do this is because my water ph is really low like below 6
*Will the water ph be able to change with that little contact time?

-what im thinking is a tall container about 4"x4" and about 30" long filled with crushed coral and a hatch on the bottom to remove the crush when its old.

noside · Nov 24, 2014

Depending on your current gh/kh I'd lean more towards raising ph naturally with a settling container and aeration.

It's going to be more consistent as crushed coral dissolves over time so the buffering capability is going to change.

Crushed coral is also going to increase your gh depending on the amount you use. I'm not sure how picky rays are to water hardness.

I know that fluctuations in hardness is a good breeding ground for parasites like ich.

RD. · Nov 24, 2014

The OP's water is pretty much void of mineral content, so GH and KH are almost non existent. Rays are fine with hard water, even wild rays kept in liquid rock. I think that the system will be fine as long as you keep an eye on things and replenish as needed. Another option would be to use crushed oyster shell, it's proven to be even more effective than crushed coral, but it needs plenty of rinsing before initial use. You can purchase it in bulk at local feed stores, often sold as chicken grit.