Making Your Own Buffer

[jerzydog]

I am starting a frontosa tank and I have heard that many cichlid folks
use a mixture of baking soda, epsom salts, and marine salt.
do may of you use/and/or reccomned this mixture??

 

[kiriyama]

I have seen this done many times, epsom salts, baking soda and aquarium salts...
I will try find the old thread and post it up later, I had a note of the quantities etc but it's nowhere to be seen...
if you're in the mood there is an old old thread by adadams and truck ,

 

[rifty]

i wouldnt buffer your water with salt mixes, buffer with something more constant like using limestone in a water butt and an airstone for water changes

 

[kiriyama]

i wouldnt buffer your water with salt mixes, buffer with something more constant like using limestone in a water butt and an airstone for water changes

Ditto, should have said
Constant ph is more important than fluctuating by adding buffers

Good idea with the water butt

Antone here used oyster shell in there filter or the water butt idea ?

 

[lalo99]

It really depends what your water parameters are out of your tap. If your tap water is soft and acidic you need to buffer. Limestone will buffer the water and is good to have in the tank. However it doesn't react nearly fast enough when doing water changes with soft acidic water. You need to use buffer in that case. Otherwise the ph will fluctuate too much. If your tap water comes out hard and basic let say 7.6 and a gh of 8 or above you wont have to buffer the water. I use crushed coral for a bio media in my filters. It helps buffer the water and acts a bio media.