Anyone use araganite sand for substrate?...

[benray4fun]

Just wanna know how it's working for you as far as buffering the water and if it matters to the rays...any input is apreciated

 

[VLDesign]

I have 2 freshwater tanks.. The one with the aragonite sand mixture in it is always PH stable. The other tank only has natural play sand is not so PH stable.

IMO it helps greatly.

 

[mos90]

wont argonite raise the ph to 8.0 ish? thought it was more for either african cichlids or saltwater.

 

[stewnew]

yeah

i use aragonite in my african cichlid tank

it does a great job at keeping the pH high for them

 

[mos90]

thought so. i dont think u would want argonite for stingrays. ph would stay too high. i keep my rays ph around 6.9-7.0 not sure if they would like closer to 8. maybe if u did a small amount it would be ok.

 

[VLDesign]

Actually my tanks don't raise in PH they stay stable. Meaning if 7.5 comes out of the tap then it stays stable at 7.5 with the buffering of the sand.

On the tank without the sand in question my PH is no longer stable and falls to 6 - 6.5 after time.

 

[Oddball]

maybe if u did a small amount it would be ok.

It doesn't work that way. The calcium carbonate in aragonite will seek to buffer the lower pH. Using a small amount will cause the buffering to occur at a faster rate per grain and for a longer duration until the calcium carbonate is in solution.
Stick with a silica-based sand for FW rays.

 

[ShadowStryder]

Just use whatever ph comes out of the tap. It is more important to maintain a stable ph than to constantly have to use chemicals for adjusting the ph. Rays will adjust to tap. My tap is 7.8 and my tanks maintain 7.8. I would stick with a sand or small gravel for substrate.

 

[cartersvillealex]

What about placing some crushed coral in the filter to help stabilize the pH? I do this with my SA cichlid tanks as my tapwater is really soft and the pH tends to fluctuate.