CA Water Hardness

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Roger Mcfish

Roger Mcfish

Piranha
MFK Member
Dec 2, 2023
454
489
77
42
Probably the wrong section but related to central american cichlid waters.

I use seachem "american cichlid salt" to raise GH levels due to only having a 2 degree hardness from the tap. I was getting this product every 8 months by the bucket due to having 6 tanks that house CA cichlids.


I know most will say why not house SA for my tap water but I'm a sucker for CA!

Now, seachem has reduced to only selling the smaller containers which price adds up pretty quickly versus the cost of the small bucket I was getting.

Question I have is can I use seachem lake salt or fritz rift lake salt to raise GH levels since it is more available in larger quantities?
Both of these products mentioned are intentionally used for rift lake cichlids of Africa. But if it raises gh for those cichlids, would central american cichlids be ok with it?
 
The rift lakes, and Central American waters are so similar, I wouldn't think twice about using the African salts to boost mineral content.
IMG_3811.jpeg
Tests above and below are from right out of the Rio Mamoni and Pacora basins in eastern Panama.
IMG_3807.jpeg
IMG_0311.jpegIMG_0234.jpeg
And mineral content gets more intense the farther north in Central America and Mexico one gets.
 
duanes said:
The rift lakes, and Central American waters are so similar, I wouldn't think twice about using the African salts to boost mineral content.
View attachment 1567448
Tests above and below are from right out of the Rio Mamoni and Pacora basins in eastern Panama.
View attachment 1567449
View attachment 1567450View attachment 1567451
And mineral content gets more intense the farther north in Central America and Mexico one gets.
Click to expand...
You think I'll be ok to use the "rift lake" salt?

Just using to raise gh.
 
Roger Mcfish said:
You think I'll be ok to use the "rift lake" salt?

Just using to raise gh.
Click to expand...
yes indeed. Most of our Central American cichlid favorites (and some coastal South American species btw) come from high pH, very hard, heavy mineral content water many with measurable salinity at times.
 
Kevin@TUIC said:
yes indeed. Most of our Central American cichlid favorites (and some coastal South American species btw) come from high pH, very hard, heavy mineral content water many with measurable salinity at times.
Click to expand...
Thank you Kevin. Seachem tried telling me otherwise about the difference in the 2 products of theirs, cichlid lake salt and American cichlid salt products.
I'll get the bucket needed of cichlid lake salt.

I have to use these hardeners as I am a person that loves CA cichlids but have very soft water. I've tried acclimating them to my water a year ago and I stressed them out.
 
Below, are some comparisons of water testing in Central America and the Rift Lakes.
As aquarists what we are trying to do, is an approximation.
Although I do a lot of testing myself, because I live here, the data below is gerenerally availlable, not mine.

The pH of Lake Nicaragua is generally in the mildly alkaline range of 7.5 to 9, with surface and near-shore waters being more alkaline due to high photosynthetic activity, while deeper waters show lower pH levels around 7.5. One early study, however, reported a highly alkaline pH exceeding 10 based on its methods.


The pH of Lake Malawi is alkaline, ranging from approximately 7.7 to 8.6, due to its unique geological composition and the presence of minerals in the water. Surface pH readings can vary slightly, with one source indicating 7.9 to 9.1, while deep waters are slightly less alkaline.
characterized by high transparency (visibility up to 20 meters) due to mineral-rich rocks.

Lake Tanganyika's water is alkaline, with a pH of around 8.7–9.0 in the surface layers and a high hardness of 7–11°dKH. Surface temperatures vary seasonally from about 24°C in August to 28–29°C in March/April. Deep water temperatures are stable around 23.1–23.4°C, and the deeper parts of the lake are anoxic due to strong stratification



Below some Parameters of Lake Bacalar on the Mexico border.
High Hardness: Lake Bacalar is considered a marl lake, rich in calcium carbonate. This high concentration of minerals, especially calcium, is what classifies the water as hard.

Lake Amatitlán typically has a pH in the range of 6.1 to 9.1, with a mean pH of approximately 8.2, and its hardness is indicated by a high calcium concentration of 88.3 mg/L and alkalinity of 410.4
 
  • Like
Reactions: Roger Mcfish
RD.

Thread 'Lake Malawi = Soft Water - Not Hard'

All these yrs later, and there still seems to be some confusion regarding Lake Malawi water parameters. This Rift Lake is NOT made up of hard water, as often reported by folks. The KH (alkalinity) is high, which keeps the pH fairly stable, but the water is on the soft side. Certainly not hard. See following link.




I posted the following approx 20 yrs ago on another forum regarding tweaking water to fit Malawi cichlids ...….



I get the feeling some people have been led to believe that one has to have their PH range above 8.0, which simply...
  • Like
  • Wow
 
duanes said:
Below, are some comparisons of water testing in Central America and the Rift Lakes.
As aquarists what we are trying to do, is an approximation.
Although I do a lot of testing myself, because I live here, the data below is gerenerally availlable, not mine.

The pH of Lake Nicaragua is generally in the mildly alkaline range of 7.5 to 9, with surface and near-shore waters being more alkaline due to high photosynthetic activity, while deeper waters show lower pH levels around 7.5. One early study, however, reported a highly alkaline pH exceeding 10 based on its methods.


The pH of Lake Malawi is alkaline, ranging from approximately 7.7 to 8.6, due to its unique geological composition and the presence of minerals in the water. Surface pH readings can vary slightly, with one source indicating 7.9 to 9.1, while deep waters are slightly less alkaline.
characterized by high transparency (visibility up to 20 meters) due to mineral-rich rocks.

Lake Tanganyika's water is alkaline, with a pH of around 8.7–9.0 in the surface layers and a high hardness of 7–11°dKH. Surface temperatures vary seasonally from about 24°C in August to 28–29°C in March/April. Deep water temperatures are stable around 23.1–23.4°C, and the deeper parts of the lake are anoxic due to strong stratification



Below some Parameters of Lake Bacalar on the Mexico border.
High Hardness: Lake Bacalar is considered a marl lake, rich in calcium carbonate. This high concentration of minerals, especially calcium, is what classifies the water as hard.

Lake Amatitlán typically has a pH in the range of 6.1 to 9.1, with a mean pH of approximately 8.2, and its hardness is indicated by a high calcium concentration of 88.3 mg/L and alkalinity of 410.4
Click to expand...
I have 2 6 ft tanks and 2 75 gallons and I have dosages of buffer down to a science to keep pH at 7.8, gh at 8 and same with kh which brings all my tanks between 200-220 ppm after every water change with the buffers.
 
RD. said:
RD.

Thread 'Lake Malawi = Soft Water - Not Hard'

All these yrs later, and there still seems to be some confusion regarding Lake Malawi water parameters. This Rift Lake is NOT made up of hard water, as often reported by folks. The KH (alkalinity) is high, which keeps the pH fairly stable, but the water is on the soft side. Certainly not hard. See following link.




I posted the following approx 20 yrs ago on another forum regarding tweaking water to fit Malawi cichlids ...….



I get the feeling some people have been led to believe that one has to have their PH range above 8.0, which simply...
  • Like
  • Wow
Click to expand...
Where it states total solids on the chart, is that TDS? If so then I'm pretty spot on or close.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom