i was wondering what types of rocks i can use to raise my ph naturally. im in arizona so the water is super hard already but the ph is only about 7.4 and i rally want it to be around 8 for my flowerhorns. because i read that good genes, hard water, and high protein foods help to grow the kok of the flowerhorn. also does anyone know what else would help to grow the koks bigger?
how to raise ph
- Thread starter the_K
- Start date
Your pH is fine, personally I wouldn't screw with it especially if you already have hard water. What you want is a stable pH, not a high pH. Ditto to the rest of your water parameters, stability is the most important thing for your fish, not some magical number that someone made up for FH kok size. If the genetics aren't there it won't matter what your pH is, or what you feed.
If after reading all of that you still want to mess with your water, adding media bags full of crushed oyster shell is the best way to boost your pH, which will max out at approx 8.2
If after reading all of that you still want to mess with your water, adding media bags full of crushed oyster shell is the best way to boost your pH, which will max out at approx 8.2
alright thanks. both the parents have really nice kok sizes and i just wanted to make sure i didnt do anything to stop there koks from growing to its fullest or as big as it can get.
BIG_ONE;5068032; said:
How much crushed coral is recommended? can you give a little more info on this please,
Thanks,
R-R
RonnieRon1;5068143; said:
I just toss enough to cover the bottom tank with a few open spots. Nicely scattered everywhere without them stacking on top of one another.
A lot of people confuse pH with alkalinity. They are not the same thing.
For most people there is no need to worry about pH values, unless their KH is low. For those people adding crushed oyster shell (as filter media) is FAR more effective in raising the alkalinity than simply tossing crushed coral in the bottom of your tank.
It is alkalinity that one wants to raise, not necessarily the pH.
As an example, the pH in Lake Malawi is in the pH range of 7.8-8.0, yet the water is borderline soft.
Freshwater fish kept in hard water (>250 mg/l alkalinity) will spend less metabolic energy on osmoregulation than fish kept in soft water (< 100 mg/l alkalinity) - thus providing more metabolic energy for growth.
That is the part of the equation that most FH keepers fail to realize, it isn't the pH that can have an effect on the growth of their fish, it's the alkalinity.
If you already have hard water, with high alkalinity, then there is simply no reason to be increasing the pH.
For most people there is no need to worry about pH values, unless their KH is low. For those people adding crushed oyster shell (as filter media) is FAR more effective in raising the alkalinity than simply tossing crushed coral in the bottom of your tank.
It is alkalinity that one wants to raise, not necessarily the pH.
As an example, the pH in Lake Malawi is in the pH range of 7.8-8.0, yet the water is borderline soft.
Freshwater fish kept in hard water (>250 mg/l alkalinity) will spend less metabolic energy on osmoregulation than fish kept in soft water (< 100 mg/l alkalinity) - thus providing more metabolic energy for growth.
That is the part of the equation that most FH keepers fail to realize, it isn't the pH that can have an effect on the growth of their fish, it's the alkalinity.
If you already have hard water, with high alkalinity, then there is simply no reason to be increasing the pH.
BIG_ONE;5068189; said:I just toss enough to cover the bottom tank with a few open spots. Nicely scattered everywhere without them stacking on top of one another.
okay thanks!!