Ro, Buffers, Ph .... Help!

[VickiandKev]

Okay, I'm doing the unthinkable ... seriously considering keeping fish that have pH requirements at the opposite end of the scale to my tap water pH.

My tap water is between 8.0 and 8.5, but it comes in about 8.0 in the tank due to all the bogwood and almond leaves etc. I want to house SA Cichlids, and already have some SA catfish that I would like to breed, eventually.

I am considering purchasing an RO unit (I think I can get one for about £60 or something) ... but I've been doing some reading and understand that buffers are incredibly important in the tank water as they prevent huge crashes in pH (or indeed huge rises).

I was considering getting some RO water and adding different percentages of RO and tap water to see how the pH comes out and find a combination that achieves the pH I am after.


So ... will this put back some of the essential buffers if I do this? Will it be sufficient? I really don't want an unstable pH in my tanks!

Also ... if I do this ... over how much time can I adjust the pH of my tank and by how much per week so that my fish don't go into pH shock?

I'm also going to be trying peat in the filter BUT I believe our water is very hard (haven't yet tested it though as I don't have a kit) and have read that the effects of peat in the filter are negligible if the water is hard?
If I do this, will I end up with a blackwater tank where I can barely see my fish?

This particular tank is my living room centre-piece, and while I'm not fussed about crystal clear water (it's always fairly tea-coloured from the leaves and wood) ... I would like to be able to still see my fish!

 

[PamC]

"I was considering getting some RO water and adding different percentages of RO and tap water to see how the pH comes out and find a combination that achieves the pH I am after."
Many persons use this method as it is the least expensive method, it just takes some experimenting to find the proper mixture to get the really depends on the numbers you want. You can use a 5 gallon bucket with an air stone and experiment with the percentages. I use RODI water, so I use Seachem's EQ, Acid and Alkaline Buffers to target GH-KH of 3-4 degrees, plus some trace minerals. I also change the water every third day on an understocked tank, to avoid any crashes with such a low KH, keep this in mind.

"Also ... if I do this ... over how much time can I adjust the pH of my tank and by how much per week so that my fish don't go into pH shock"
Your right, pH does need to be adjusted slowly, pH 8 is ten times more alkaline than pH 7 and 100 times (10 times 10) more alkaline than pH 6. Can be done slowly, just by adding a measured amount RO water during water changes. Get the liquid kits, test your GH-KH after the water changes to see how it affected the tank and adjust from there.

"I'm also going to be trying peat in the filter BUT I believe our water is very hard (haven't yet tested it though as I don't have a kit) and have read that the effects of peat in the filter are negligible if the water is hard?"
You may not need to use peat if using RO water, plus logs and leaves. SA cichlids in black water prefer the soft, acid water which you can achieve through mixing your RO with tap water. The other benefit of peat, just like the logs and leaves, is the way it colors the water or dimming the light in the water. So the lighting can be dimmed further by using a less powerful bulbs or adding lots of floating plants. Sounds like you already have that going on with the log and leaves. Not all SA are black water, many are clear or white water, read up on the fish you are interested in.

My response is not an absolute answer as there are many variables unknown, get the liquid test kits (they are cheap enough) before doing any alterations to know what kind of water you are starting out with. I suggest a good book, Discus Health by Dieter Untergasser. I keep small SA cichlids and have found this book invaluable. Find in used books stores in your town or online. Hope this helps you out a bit.