African Cichlid PH

[Yogie]

why? epsom salt and baking soda is much cheaper than this option and has the exact same effect.

you are throwing money down the drain.

I been doing it that way for 8+ years...

Fish are healthy, don't have to constantly monitor PH, GH and KH, just add the right amounts and it's done...

I've only got one African tank (4x2x2) with Malawi's in it and the big Seachem bottles last me about 4 months so cost doesn't really bother me.

Each to their own i guess...

 

[Yogie]

They should be fine in that water, if they have been living it should be fine. You may try some drift wood and lava rock to increase the Ph

Lava rock has no effect on pH and you will find driftwood actually lowers the pH...

 

[zabelkid]

i have been running into this same issue. i have african cichlid sand in my 125 tank and the ph is exactly the same as out of the tap. 7.8. I also have a 46 planted tank and i have mopani wood, and peat in my filter. ph 7.8 also.

 

[KevinB]

Not every "african" cichlid comes from one of the lakes with a high PH. Many West African riverines come from waters with a low PH. Not trying to be a wise guy, (and since the majority of the LFS fish come from the lakes, it is likely the advise is good.) I'm just surprised that no one asked which african cichlid species we are talking about.

Edit:
Oops. I take it all back. I see there is a separate west african riverine folder. Sorry

 

[bbboys]

They should be fine in that water, if they have been living it should be fine. You may try some drift wood and lava rock to increase the Ph

I thought that drift wood lowered the ph?

 

[Lupin]

Yes, the tannins the driftwoods leach lowers the pH, bbboys. You are correct.

 

[Flatfish]

My tap water is from a well. It naturally has a lot of iron in it so I have a water softener system which removes the iron. I suspect this system is also responsible for the low PH. I guess my question is that a stable low PH is better than adding chemicals and having a fluctuating high PH?

 

[swk]

i have been running into this same issue. i have african cichlid sand in my 125 tank and the ph is exactly the same as out of the tap. 7.8. I also have a 46 planted tank and i have mopani wood, and peat in my filter. ph 7.8 also.

Your ph has to be low enough to begin with for the aragonite to react and increase the ph. If your ph is around 7.6 and up, and your water is hard, then the aragonite will not be broken down and wont buffer your water.

 

[bunty82]

Ok , i dont have a testing kit. And i use water pulled directly from the earth waterbeds.
The water is slighty salty in taste. I mean u can drink its just barely recognizable.
What would be the pH of my water will be acidic or alkaline.

 

[jus1time]

there is no way of knowing what the characteristics of your water are unless you test it. It would all be guess work otherwise!