Raising Ph

[Bebobb]

I read on a site that this recipoe will raise the pH for 5 multies in a 16 Gallon bow-front. I will be using crused coral as substrate, and have a ledge of slate. My queston is, how much will this raise the pH? I think I might use this recipe

"Commercial buffers and salts can get quite expensive if you have a large tank. Instead of going with these, there are some homemade remedies that also work just fine. Common bicarbonate of soda is effective at raising the pH, not to mention it’s very inexpensive. Epsom salts (i.e., magnesium sulfate) can be used to harden the water in lieu of calcium. And then you could also add aquarium salt (i.e., non-iodized salt) to provide trace elements and potassium. For every 5 gallons of water, add 1-tablespoon Epsom slats, 1-teaspoon baking soda, and 1-teaspoon aquarium salt. "



How much will crushed coral and slate ledge raise the ph?

How much will the recipee above raise the pH?

How often will I have to use this recipee to keep the pH stable?

 

[doktor doris]

I use that recipe too, in fact I mention the fact here-

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=297367

Iam not sure how much it will raise your pH. I use it more for the hardness increasing properties.
What is your pH in the first place?

doris

 

[dthoffsett]

How much will crushed coral and slate ledge raise the ph?
Slate is inert, so it won't raise the PH at all, the coral will over time, however when used as a substrate rather than placed in the filter as Ashy suggested, it will raise much slower. As for how high, I believe it depends on what your current PH is.

How much will the recipee above raise the pH?
It depends on your current PH and how much of the recipe you use, baking soda won't raise your PH over 8.6, which isn't a problem as the shellies will love it.

How often will I have to use this recipe to keep the pH stable?
You will need to use it at every water change as removing the tank water will remove the minerals you have added and will introduce water with a lower PH/KH. You won't need to use as much as you do when you first set up the tank since you will be adding smaller amounts. You'll need to experiement a little to find out how much buffer you need for the amount you will be changing.


I've found aragonite sand (in the marine section of your LFS) to be far more effective in buffering the water than crushed coral. My tap water has a high PH but almost no KH, when I was using crushed coral I not only had it as a substrate, but had to put a rather large amount in my filter to keep the KH high. When I switched over to aragonite sand I was able to remove the crushed coral from the filter, and my KH remained rock solid (pun intented ) for the next year before I tore the tank down.

 

[Bebobb]

How much will crushed coral and slate ledge raise the ph?
Slate is inert, so it won't raise the PH at all, the coral will over time, however when used as a substrate rather than placed in the filter as Ashy suggested, it will raise much slower. As for how high, I believe it depends on what your current PH is.

How much will the recipee above raise the pH?
It depends on your current PH and how much of the recipe you use, baking soda won't raise your PH over 8.6, which isn't a problem as the shellies will love it.

How often will I have to use this recipe to keep the pH stable?
You will need to use it at every water change as removing the tank water will remove the minerals you have added and will introduce water with a lower PH/KH. You won't need to use as much as you do when you first set up the tank since you will be adding smaller amounts. You'll need to experiement a little to find out how much buffer you need for the amount you will be changing.


I've found aragonite sand (in the marine section of your LFS) to be far more effective in buffering the water than crushed coral. My tap water has a high PH but almost no KH, when I was using crushed coral I not only had it as a substrate, but had to put a rather large amount in my filter to keep the KH high. When I switched over to aragonite sand I was able to remove the crushed coral from the filter, and my KH remained rock solid (pun intented ) for the next year before I tore the tank down.

Thank you for answering ALL of my questions. This is the most appriciated post in this thread. My tap pH is about 7-7.4. I used the test strips so it is a little above nuetral or around that mark. Not below 7.0. I will use that recipe to buffer my pH. I will use argonite sand, because the only reason I wanted crushed coral is because I knew it would buffer the pH. But now I know that argonite sand will buffer my pH, I will use that because I know it is cheaper. But now I have more questions

How many pounds of sand should I use for a 16 gallon bow front?

Will my shellies breed without perfect conditions, I know for most fish, the conditions have to be perfect?

 

[dthoffsett]

How many pounds of sand should I use for a 16 gallon bow front?

If I remember right you want about a pound for every gallon, however, since most shellies like to bury their shells, I'd go with 20 - 25lbs. You could always add more later if you need. You will need to rinse it alot, I was amazed at how much dust is in there, IMO it was dustier than play sand. I had luck with adding it to my tank, then waiting an hour or so to turn on the filter, adding some filter floss and rinsing it out every day for a week will help too. I also, cleaned my filter out after a week just to make sure no sand particles made it to the impeller.

Will my shellies breed without perfect conditions, I know for most fish, the conditions have to be perfect?

Lake Tang cichlids are a bit pickier than Lake Malawi cichlids, I think because Lake Tang is older and the water params almost never fluctuate. From what I've read it's not so much the PH (though they prefer it high) as it is nitrAtes. You'll want to keep those as low as possible, so keep up on your water changes and you should be fine.