My tap water has a ph level of 7.6 is that high enough for me to keep farm-raised African cichlids?

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ghurty

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My tap water has a ph level of 7.6 is that high enough for me to keep farm-raised African cichlids?

Thank you
 
Locally bred Lake Malawi and Lake Victoria cichlids can tolerate a pH of 7.6 but you need a GH above 200ppm for them.

Locally bred Lake Tanganyika cichlids you need the pH a bit higher (above 8.0) and a GH above 300ppm.
 
Is water hardness the same sensitivity as pH? I know that with pH you have to be very careful or else there can be shock. With hardness is it OK as long as I bring it up to a higher level after the water change? Is it even possible to raise the hardness?
 
Changes in GH don't stress the fish as much as pH but changes in GH do still affect the fish. So you want to raise or lower the GH over a couple of weeks. The easiest way to change the GH is to do 10-20% water changes using the harder or softer water. Do a small water change every couple of days and you will gradually change the GH at a safe rate.

You can raise the GH by adding minerals like calcium chloride and magnesium chloride. Rift Lake water conditioners contain these minerals and you add some to a container of water, aerate it for at least 30minutes, make sure all the salt is dissolved and then use this water to do water changes.
 
I agree with previous posts, but would ask, what is the GH of your source water? And KH (Alkalinity) would be useful to know as this "buffers" pH.
 
My GH is 143.2 I cant find my KH test kit, and I looked at the water report it doesnt say anything.

The way I usually do a water change is I fill up a big a big platic tub and Prime and then use that. If I add water hardner to it, would that work with the African Cichlids?
 
My GH is 143.2 I cant find my KH test kit, and I looked at the water report it doesnt say anything.

The way I usually do a water change is I fill up a big a big platic tub and Prime and then use that. If I add water hardner to it, would that work with the African Cichlids?

You might want to call the water authority, to confirm the GH (and get the KH/Alkalinity) to be certain. Before you start fussing over pre-mixing water it is advisable to know exactly what you are starting with.

You could use the rift lake mineral salts, and prepare the water before adding it. My method if this is a rift lake cichlid tank would be to use a calcareous sand substrate. Carrib-Sea make one for rift lakes, but any sand composed of aragonite will work.
 
That's what I thought it was about.

If I take sample testing over a few days from different taps would that be accurate ?

Thank you
 
That's what I thought it was about.

If I take sample testing over a few days from different taps would that be accurate ?

Thank you

Generally the GH and KH of tap water will not change. This is because the source water, the reservoir/lake/groundwater they use, will be stable in most cases. Water travelling through the pipe system willnot change its hardness unless the pipes are dissolving (not very likely). If a water authority uses water from different sources, this may cause some variation as the water in those sources could be different. And sometimes seasonal changes can cause fluctuations. But in general the GH/KH is what it is. The pH can fluctuate more depending upon the initial GH/KH and dissolved CO2 occurring as the water moves through the pipes.

I still find it odd that a water authority would not know these parameters. Those of us in areas with very soft water know that it means a lower pH which can corrode pipes, so substances like soda ash are frequently added to raise the pH. The GH/KH is not affected. I would guess that your water people probably know very well the parameters, but the individual just can't be bothered.
 

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