water chemistry for African cichlids

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Ophiuchus

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Jan 31, 2006
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First of all, how does salt affect pH? I know it does somehow, but is it really as simple as "put salt in your tank to raise pH"? I ask this because at PetSmart (where I work), various fish will have stated on their labels "needs aquarium salt." I know true brackish species (angels, gobies, mollies, etc) need salt, but is that necessarily true for the African cichlids? I know they need alkaline, hard water, (which is high pH, right?) but I don't think its the same as other brackish environments. I'm trying to write a memo for my co-workers and it be great if someone could clear up this issue for me so I better explain it to my colleagues. Respond soon!

Thanks.
 
Salt doesn't affect your PH it affects the water hardness or GH. Luckily where I live the PH of our tap water runs close to 8.0 which is perfect for african cichlids I add the salt to increase the GH range to between 20-30 dGH which I am sure your store sells test kits for this very thing. The salt also reduces stress to the fish and adds electrolytes which is very beneficial to gill functioning. Generally I add somewhere between 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of aquarium salt per every gallon of water, mixed well of course. I would not call this brackish water at all.
 
I spent a lot of time researching water chem for my mbuna tank. I like to add epsom salt - about 1 table spoon per 10 gal - to my tank. It adds magnesium to the water, increasing GH and it also acts as a laxitive to keep their slow moving digestive track moving.

I also add aquarium salt - 1 teaspoon/10 gal - to further increase GH and reduce osmatic stress, although I found it much harder to increase GH with Aquarium salt than Epsom salt.

Then I add some Marine buffer to get the PH and KH up around 8.2 and 180 ppm.

Finally, I sterilize and crush some shells from local beachs to use as filter media. They make great homes for bacteria amd add Calcium to the water, further increasing hardness.

The results have been great for me. The fish are very active and healthy.

Hope that helps.
 
Ok now i'm a bit lost... i just spent a bit of $$$ on this product "Kent" AF salts, trace elements and etc. are you telling me that i didn't need all this stuff? and that alli needed to do was maintain a PH of 8.0 and add epson salt? will some one please help me out! this is my first tank and i dont want to harm my A. C. (afican cichlids) whats the proper st up?

Thanks,
 
I don't think you can go wrong with those trace minerals, especially if you are trying breed a shyer species, every little bit helps.

I have found personally and thru reading, that Africans are pretty tough. Since farm raised mbuna have never seen Lake Malawi, they aren't too picky, they just like their water hard and Alkaline.

The most important thing I have found for Africans is to feed them right. A low protein diet is essential, the bloat is for real.
 
I think we're putting the tail before the dog in this conversation.

pH is a measure of the balance between the Hydrogen and Hydroxide ions in the water.
low pH is acidic
high pH is alkaline (basic)

pH scale is a logarithmic scale, so pH of 7.0 is 10 times more acidic than a pH of 8.0

Carbonate Hardness (KH)
Alkalinity (different from the term alkaline) is a measurement of waters buffering ability (ability to absorb and neutralise acid). The more alkalinity (the higher the carbonate hardness) the less likely it will be to incur pH swings i.e. the more stable the water. African cichlids live in very stable, high pH environments. Adding baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) will raise the kH of the water and so will commercially available products that raise the buffering capacity.

General Hardness (GH)
This is the measurement of Magnesium and Calcium ions in the water or the hardness or softness of the water. Limestone or crushed coral will raise the general hardness. There is only a correlation between pH and hardness if your water happens to be hardened by carbonates of Ca and Mg.

Whether or not salt increases the pH depends on what you mean by salt. Commercial salt mixes intended for reef/saltwater aquaria are pretty alkaline and contain many kinds of salts so they can raise both pH and hardness. Plain sodium chloride (table salt and sometimes aquarium salt) has no effect on pH or hardness at all.

Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) will raise the GH. It's laxitive properties also benefit aquarium fish because it prevents blockage when the fish gobble food.

Instead of buying commercial buffering agents for my Africans, I mix my change water ahead of time. I use Epsom salt, sea salt mix, and baking soda. Starting with 50 gallons of *MY* plain tap water, I mix 4 tbsp epsom salt, 5 tsp sea salt, and 6 tsp baking soda. This produces water with a pH of 8.4, KH of 11 - 14, and a GH of 20. Your results will be different, depending on your tap water.

You may just want to use the commercial products. There is some debate... This method works for me.
 
I filled up a 5 gallon pail with de-cholrinated water and added 1/4 teaspoon increments of Epsom salt, aquarium salt and ph Buffer (sodium bicarb aka baking soda). Then I'd stir, let it settle and test. I burned thru like 6 or 7 test strips but when I was done I had the formula. I just took the amount I added and scaled up for the tank. (11X in my case)

I add the same ratio to a my pre-mixed replacement water on water changes.
 
Bessanio;525477; said:
wow thats great, thanks for clearing that up! what in your estimation would be the measuremnts of your pre-mix of salts would i use for my 30gal ?
Click to expand...

It depends entirely on what your tap water contains.

You need to buy a test kit for GH, KH, and pH. Most master kits contain them.
 
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