Maintaining Ph

[Andrew G]

I'm using Proper pH 8.2 to maintain my African Cichlid tank but wonder if I could use plain baking soda. It would me much more cost effective.

Is this an acceptable alternative?

Thanks

 

[boshank23]

it is an alternative.

what substrate are you using? i found coral sand buffered my water and i didnt have to use and additives.
perhaps a bag of coral sand in a canister filter if you have one

 

[Nick Sw]

Yep, I use Baking Soda.

Rift Lake Buffer Recipe
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/buffer_recipe.php

It helps having a PH meter.

 

[demasoni]

Yep, I use Baking Soda.

Rift Lake Buffer Recipe
http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/buffer_recipe.php

It helps having a PH meter.

Question: If we use this home made buffer, will it effect the fish's breeding? ie: Will it breed more? Less? Or not at all?


and sorry for thread jacking, your question made me think!

 

[adambrum]

What is your ph ?.

I think its better if you can buffer you ph with the substrate or within the filter. any of the other buffers baking soda/proper ph get used up so can cause a varying ph.

i would say a stable ph that may be a bit lower than perfect is better than a perfect ph that fluctuates

 

[Andrew G]

What I'm getting from these reply's is that it's better to maintain your pH naturally via substrate or product in the canister filter than to use Proper pH or home remedy's.

Is this correct?

 

[Griz]

What are the parameters of your tank water?

Generally speaking, if the water out of your tap is close to what your fish prefer, it's best to leave well enough alone. It's just easier. You can safely attempt to improve your water though additives. Read up on water chemistry if you think it's something you want to do. My advice is not to add anything unless you truly understand the chemistry involved. At least at a basic level.

 

[Nick Sw]

What is your ph ?.

I think its better if you can buffer you ph with the substrate or within the filter. any of the other buffers baking soda/proper ph get used up so can cause a varying ph.

i would say a stable ph that may be a bit lower than perfect is better than a perfect ph that fluctuates

Adam can you explain that last post , how do these other buffers "get used up" ? and vary the PH ?

I`m looking forward to hearing the reply .

I agree if your stats are near enough it`s best to leave alone, I enjoy the chemistry part I find it interesting and is another part to the hobby.

 

[adambrum]

I used proper ph 8.2 and noticed the ph would drop in a week same with baking soda and im sure i read somewhere that the chemical that is used to bring the ph up is constantly being used by the water so after a week the ph is lower then a water change with new buffer and ph goes back up.

This is just my understanding of it

 

[Andrew G]

i found coral sand buffered my water and i didnt have to use and additives.
perhaps a bag of coral sand in a canister filter if you have one

Got any experience with the canister filters? I like the idea of filling these filters with media such as coral sand to naturally adjust the pH.

Thanks

 

[boshank23]

i found coral sand buffered my water and i didnt have to use and additives.
perhaps a bag of coral sand in a canister filter if you have one

Got any experience with the canister filters? I like the idea of filling these filters with media such as coral sand to naturally adjust the pH.

Thanks

there is only 1 draw back with doing it this way, as the coral sand breaks down in the filter it puts the fine dust straight into the tank, this may irritate the fish.

there is a way round this, in the last basket of the canister fill it with fine filter floss and that should catch the fine dust.

 

[Teelie]

One of the benefits to hard tapwater is I don't need to use much buffer for my shellies. I do have some of the native buffering elements (salts, minerals, etc.) from their habitat but haven't used any yet.

 

[blue acara]

this is a bit off topic-
i have been using baking soda on my RO for a while (on my central american tank) and ive noticed that it changes the KH(making it very high 20-30 before it changes the PH- therefore the PH stays the same(7)... has anyone had this same thing?

because of this, on my hap tank i have never used baking soda, i am using proper ph 8.2 in water change water and part coral sand substrate- the chemistry of the water is stable

 

[Tommy Gunnz]

What is your ph ?.

I think its better if you can buffer you ph with the substrate or within the filter. any of the other buffers baking soda/proper ph get used up so can cause a varying ph.

i would say a stable ph that may be a bit lower than perfect is better than a perfect ph that fluctuates

I think this statement about keeping a steady Ph is sometimes more important that buffering to a certain number is very, very true. In fact, I do not use any buffers or other means to keep my cichlid tank's Ph higher and the Ph is around 7.2 to 7.4 all the time. I have also recently bred my yellow labs with this same Ph.

As a side note, it is important to know that at a higher Ph, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are much more toxic than at a lower Ph level. This is why I like to keep my Ph lower and do not mess with it. This is also important to know if you are like me and keep my cichlid tanks slightly overstocked for aggression reasons. With an over populated tank and the wastes that are generated from that, coupled with a high Ph, disaster could occur very fast.

The Ph buffers are not the ultimate fix and do lose their effect over time. This is why substrates or other non-chemical approaches are used to raise or lower the Ph since they last much longer than a chemical buffer. Also, as was hinted at before, the general hardness (Gh and Kh) of your water has a large part in your ability to even change the Ph in the first place. If I remember correctly, the higher the general hardness of your water, the harder it is to change Ph levels.

So, basically it will boil down to what you feel is best. I just think that using a chemical buffering agent is not only expensive since it goes away over time, but also costly and time consuming because you are forced to test your water more frequently to ensure that the Ph levels are not swinging up and down rapidly as this will lead to shocking your fish.