Tap Water

adambrum

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I have just done a water test straight from the tap could some one let me know if its suitable for keeping malawi cichlids i know i can raise my ph by using bicarb.

kh= 70
gh= 60
ph=7.0
 
It will do fine as it is. If you start trying to raise the ph it is a nightmare to keep it stable, Malawi's will not have a problem with a ph of 7.
 
Although they will live in ph 7 they'll still respond best if you can get it up closer to 8. You can use baking soda and limestone or coral or some such to help out.
 
Im going to be using an african substrate and coral in the tank to help raise my ph and use soda to do my tap water when i do water changes. does this sound ok.
 
Your water may very well change after 24 to 48 hours. My water tests at the tap ph7 gh30 kh 22, after the water sets for a period the ph goes to 8.5, but the gh and kh remain constant. I personally never alter my water I just try to properly acclimate the fish to the water. I keep many differant kind of cichlids, and they all spawn for me on a regular basis. IMHO if we acclimate properly and give regular water changes we can keep almost any fish we desire. One thing to keep in mind is that the majority of the fish at your LFS are probably not imported directly from their native waters, somebody somewhere is raising them. Therefore the ultimate water specs are probably not necassary (this would not apply to fish directly imported).
 
thanks for all of the advice i just wanted to make sure i could keep them and that i was going the right way about it .
 
Yeah i think the coral is a good way to go for that.. It will keep the ph higher and it doesnt look too bad.
 
well i think thats about it for now , the set up will be african substrate, tufa rock and coral,external filter (oversized) with spray bar . now all i have to do is set the thing up , fishless cycle and then worry about what fish to get. oh thats after i make the base,hood and sort the ballast out for the lights.
 

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