I am about to set up a Malawi cichlid tank. I bought a bottle each of Seachem's Malawi Buffer and African Lake Salts. Are these redundant in any way? Are the recommended doses based on adding trace elements to RO water or just the average tap water? I am trying to figure out IF I really need this stuff, and, if so, how do I handle the dosing levels? Anyone use these, or similar, products? I am not going to try breeding right away, but I DO want the fish to be happy and show their best colors. I will be keeping captive-bred specimens. Thanks for the help.
Proper use of Malawi buffers & Lake Salts?
- Thread starter lujor
- Start date
Depends on your tap water if you need to buffer it. Test your alkalinity.
Save some money and use Arm&Hammer baking soda for the buffer if you need a buffer and skip the salt, jmo. Or if you really want to add salt just use non iodized salt (sodium chloride) and epsom salt (magnesium chloride) from the grocery store.
Save some money and use Arm&Hammer baking soda for the buffer if you need a buffer and skip the salt, jmo. Or if you really want to add salt just use non iodized salt (sodium chloride) and epsom salt (magnesium chloride) from the grocery store.
What real effect does those buffering agents or those salt will do.As we all know most of the stock we get in shops are tank breeds.
Do they really need those buffering.Please.
Do they really need those buffering.Please.
But do tank bred fish show better colors if gradually adjusted to the same conditions as their native waters? The LFS near me keeps their Africans in the same water they keep their Discus and everything else in... and yet they recommended the buffer and salt...hmmmm. The municipal water here is pH7.4-7.6, is moderately hard, and is very well buffered; don't know the specifics tho. I have also been told that the Rift Valley Cichlid salts help prevent Malawi bloat. True?
And are the same minerals and trace elements present in both (most) municipal water supplies and the buffer and salt? Are there important substances in the supplements that are not usually present in tap water?
lujor;4436698; said:
Yes your rift lake cichlids will always show better colors if they are kept in hard alkaline water. With your ph at 7.4-7.6 you should use a buffer.
Malawi bloat is usually caused by a flaggelates (parasites) that are normally present in fishes intestines without causing any problems. It's when the fish are kept in less than ideal (stressful) conditions they become a problem and cause bloat. So that is probably why told you it will help prevent bloat. IMO, general hardness is not really that much of a factor. PH, ammonia, nitrite, high nitrates etc. are more important. Some say excessive salts will also cause bloat so that's why I wouldn't use the salts unless your going to be testing general hardness.
lujor;4436996; said:
Well tap water varies alot but I would guess that for the most part the same minerals are present, just in differing amounts depending on where you live.
The seachem buffer is carbonates plus some borate. Seachem has always been big on using borate to target a specific ph with their buffers. By adding a certain amount of borate is how they can put "ph 8.4" on the label. If you were to have ph meter in the water you would see the ph go quickly to "8.4" when you added it. However the ph would then go back down after a day or so because it is ultimately the carbonate hardness (alkalinity) that determines your ph. That's why I said just use baking soda and save some money. But get an alkalinity test kit so you'll know how much to use. Here's an alkalinity calculator to tell you how much to add to get to your desired alkalinity http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/reef-calculator#AlkalinityCalculator
If you choose to adjust the general hardness, the lake salts are sodium chloride (salt), magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, and sulfates. Unlike, say a reef tank, you don't have to worry about specific levels of calcium, megnesium, etc. So you can do that with non iodized salt and epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). Just a 50/50 mix will do.