I second that - wait until you finish and the tank is fully cycled. Amm. needs to drop to 0. Are you checking NitrITES? You mention NitrATES only. Given that NitrATES are only at 5.0 probably means your NitrITES haven't come down yet.
Also, I applaud you for trying to focus on the details of the water (PH/GH/KH)
Basically, there are two schools of thought on PH... The first school say that a stable PH is better than a proper one. Those who subscribe to this theory are often correct, but I believe for another reason... because it turns out that many African's were actually bred and raised in fairly inappropriate water from a technical standpoint to begin with. So in a sense the improper (but stable) PH is in fact all they have ever known. Given that playing with PH can cause maddening swings, it is suggested to just leave it alone, because the fish will acclimate to whatever it is, if it is simply stable.
The second school of thought is that fish deserve to be in conditions most similar to their true natural environment. Mbunus are one of the most interesting species I have kept and I believe mine benefit from duplicating their water conditions. I personally believe they look and live better for that extra work. Since adding the lake salts naturally buffers against PH swings, I simply add my salts, a bit of PH up and it locks at 8.0 - rock solid - no swings. I monitor GH/KH occassionally with an API liquid test kit. I honestly don't get too excited about it - I found that GH/GK tend to fall in line with Malawi conditions by simply adding my African Cichlid buffering salt at the Lake Malawi recommended dose on the bottle and adjusting the PH slightly. Of course, this depends on your water source as well.
I think there is something to be said for both beliefs, but given that PH is more stable when buffered and I add the salts anyway, why not shoot for more perfect water conditions??? At the same time I have to be honest in saying I have never messed with nor cared about PH, GH or KH in any other *freshwater* aquarium I have ever had except my Malawi tank.
Here is an article that gives some details on the ranges you might be seeking and some general info on the chemistry behind it. It also gives some homebrew receipes for making adjustments without donating to corporate america for their re-packaged household products at twice the price:
http
/www.malawimayhem.com/articles_chemi...chemistry.shtml
Good luck! If you haven't had a Malawi tank before you are really going to love it.
