New Africans are swimming in low pH

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M

minerman

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 17, 2009
10
0
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Columbus, Ohio, USA
So, I started an african mbuna community a couple weeks ago in a 55gal aquarium. I'm looking to get about 15 in there eventually, but have 7 juveniles right now. I believe the tap water in my area has a low pH. It tests at about 6.5 according to my tester strips. But, they are expired, so I need some new ones to verify.

I had a couple africans in the past, living with larger cichlids. I always was a fan, but they ended up becoming oscar food. My last experience, I think they were under a lot of stress, their colors faded and they were very aggressive. I want to do a better job with them this time, which is why I'm dedicating my 55gal to them. My goal is to have colorful and happy fish. My wife wants them to breed but that is really optional.

So, I filled the tank with large flint rocks to form caves and hiding places. I am wondering if all rocks buffer and more specifically, if flint will buffer? Anybody have any experience using flint in an aquarium? I'm thinking maybe my tester strips are just no good. Anybody have recommendations on the best fresh water testing tools?

So if my pH is truely low. What is the best thing to do? There is not much more room in the tank for additional substrate or decorations. I've always strayed away from adding chemicals to my water, because it usually does more harm than good. Do you recommend this? Any special techniques to ensure success with adding chemicals? I am considering buying chemicals and adding small amounts during weekly water changes, rather than dumping in a bunch at one time.


Thanks for your help!

P.S. - The tank is beautiful, my best creation so far, and I need to get pics up here sometime!
 
Ph being steady is better than High. There are a ton of african cichlid keepers in Ohio, so if that is normal ph then you should be fine. Not all rock will buffer. I am not familiar with flint rock... Does flint rock dissolve in water?
 
mike dunagan;4280646; said:
Does flint rock dissolve in water?
Click to expand...

As far as I know, flint will not disolve in water. I am not entirely sure though. I know that some have experience and have recommended using it in tanks, even though it is not common to do because of the sharper edges.
 
I would recommend getting some live fresh water sand, it keeps the ph at about 8.0 for me, I also use alot of lace rock which acts as a buffer (on the expensive side), or add coral to help also. here is a link for the sand I use, see if you can find it in your local shop, it definitely works GREAT!!

http://www.amazon.com/Carib-Sea-Ecco-Complete-Freshwater-African/dp/B0002DH0X0

if your tap water ph is low, then make it a point to keep up on your weekly waterchanges so you can do alot of smaller changes rather then larger ones by-weekly.
 
So, if you had to choose between adding chemicals to raise the pH or just leaving the pH at 6.5, what would you do?

I really like my substrate and rocks so I don't want to change them if at all possible.

My thinking is that if I add chemicals gradually during water changes, I wont kill my fish? I fear that if I add all at once, my fish will be dead the next day. I usually attribute my success in keeping fish alive to water stability. Would you say that it is still too risky to do it that way and its better to just stay at a low pH? Or, to go ahead and give that a try?
 
I have had many Africans with standard NYC tap that is about 7.0 similar to most tap water in northeast. Better to be steady 7.0 then go from 7-8 on a daily basis.
 
Ive got about 150 pounds of lace rock sitting in my mbuna tank and it hasn't affected the parameters at all
 
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