What Buffer Can I Use For South Americans

[australia]

hey, what buffer can i use for firemouths and green terrors?

 

[Liam50]

do you mean dithers? or buffer the ph?

 

[australia]

what are dithers?

im talking about the PH and Hardness of the water.

 

[Liam50]

what are dithers?

im talking about the PH and Hardness of the water.

erm not sure why you would want to buffer the water for south americans?

 

[minxfishy]

What is your current ph/hardness?

Most fish, including SA cichlids providing they are acclimatised properly will live happily in most ph parameters, even if they are not their 'recommended' levels. I live in a hard water area with a tap ph of 7.8-8.0 my tank ph sits around 7.4 due to lots of mopani/bogwood which lowers it slightly and I have currently and have kept previously some pretty sensitive SA cichlids who have not only thrived in this water but also bred happily.

So unless your water is very high in ph or extremely hard, I dont recommend you play around with it, a stable ph is far better for fish, than a ph that fluctuates as you try to lower or higher it. You may also find that your LFS will have the same water chemistry as you do, therefore the fish are already used to its parameters, ask them, most will know, if it varies wildly from your own, then slowly acclimatise the fish you buy to avoid any problems with ph shock.