New member but not new to Africans

[Essjay]

I just searched for hardness using a business based in Fishergate, Preston. United Utilities gives their hardness as 6.93 Clark which equates to 5.5 dH and 90 ppm. Way too soft for Rift Lake cichlids.
If your hardness is similar, you'll need to add something to make your water harder if you want to keep mbuna.

 

[AJ356]

Just right for Africans

You need to check. I heard the water is pretty soft up there. Get yourself a test kit and do this properly.

 

[Psychotic Madman]

Thanks for the heads up, just checked and you are correct, hardness is 6.90. Must have changed from last time i had mbuna, dont know how. Anyway, my substrate will be coral sand and i will have quite a bit of Old coral rock in the sump for filtration(well washed and cured). Maybe that was why my water used to be good for africans, same set up as before. Can anyone recommend a decent test kit for freshies?. I used to use the dip strips and never had any problems with my fish, always breeding and looking good.

 

[Naughts]

People like api liquid tests, one set has ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and pH. They also do one for KH and GH which will be needed if you are set on changing your water parameters. Be careful with dip test strips in a new tank as they often don’t measure ammonia.

Also your marine lighting will have a high kelvin rating (is it 9000/ 10000k for corals??) so will create a lot of algae. Will you use a dimmer or barrier to reduce it?

 

[Psychotic Madman]

Light will be set about 18" above the tank and i will be experimenting with settings prior to setting it. If need be i will change to something more suitable.

 

[Psychotic Madman]

Looking at the Aquarium Labs multi test kit, any thoughts?

 

[MattW]

Ive only ever used the API master test kit along with NT labs hardness test. You could look into JBL test kits or the NT Labs too.

NT Labs Aquarium Lab Kit | Comprehensive Water Testing

Ensure optimal aquarium health with NT Labs Multi-Test Kit. Over 200 tests for Ammonia, pH, and more. Easy use with built-in rack and calibrated droppers.

aquacadabra.com

I know Fishshopmatt uses this one, and he likes it a lot

 

[Psychotic Madman]

Yes, thats the one i was looking at.