# African Cichlids Substrate and PH Levels



## greenterror85 (Feb 19, 2015)

I'm going to be changing one of my 55 gallon tanks to an African cichlid tank. It currently have a few juvenile new world cichlids. The water coming from my well has a PH of around 6. I have raised the PH to around 7.6 for the fish currently in the tank. I used a few teaspoons of baking soda. I know baking soda isn't the best option for raising the PH. I'm looking for some advice on a better way to get the PH up to something suitable for African cichlids. I have read that maybe crushed coral substrate may be the answer. I currently have pool filter sand in the tank now. I plan on getting some Kenyi for the tank. Any ideas on good tank mates for kenyi??

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

Baking soda is a great way to keep your PH up. Have been using it for many years. From what I have been reading lately, crushed coral and other buffers don't really have a chance to buffer the water enough between water changes. I used to run bags of crushed coral in my filters and found it did very little. I would keep the PFS and just keep using baking soda.

Oh and I'm not a mixing expert, but Kenyi's are highly aggressive and it's usually advised to steer clear of them unless you have a very large tank.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

there is a common misconception regarding "buffers" in a tank. "buffers" do not generally raise ph on their own to any significant extent. a "buffer" helps to maintain the ph that is already there. "buffers" maintain a constant and help avoid fluctuations in the ph. the buffers i speak of are limestone, crushed coral, arragonite, etc... now u will find the "buffer" mixes in stores which will raise ph and maintain it because it is a mixture of chemicals (for lack of a better term) to raise ph and then also contain a buffer to maintain it. so to answer your question yes i would use crushed coral as a substrate or in the filter to maintain your ph. u will still have to raise it with baking soda from 6 to whatever u want it to be, but the coral will help maintain or "buffer" it. without the buffer your water would drop back down within a few days


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'm curious what your KH is? I agree that kenyi in a 55G are likely to be a problem. I also agree baking soda is good...why do you think it's not?


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

Baking soda is the way to go if you have a low K.H. I run about 600 gallons in 6 tanks that all had crushed coral as substrate at one point. I got rid of it all years ago and turned to playsand as it did nothing for my P.H and It wasn't suitable for featherfins . Crushed coral will do nothing for you in the long term. I'm actually thinking about switching to caribsea aragonite in my Tropheus tanks but I will still have to use baking soda due to my low K.H.


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## Maximus74 (Mar 31, 2014)

How do I calculate how much baking soda to put? I have a 150gal with the PH at 7.5, so how much teaspoon should I put to raise the PH to 8? Also any particular brand of baking soda?

Thanks


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You may not want to tamper with the pH if you've got 7.5 already. What is your KH?

You would experiment in a bucket with 1G of water and test until you get the result you want. Then multiply that by 150 (less any volume used up by rocks, etc.) and dose the tank as well as any future water changes.


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## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

I would stick with baking soda over a change in substrate/media/etc. As mentioned, they tend to have little impact on pH. I wouldn't change from PFS to crushed coral, knowing you would still have to buffer new water.

In my buffering experience (using Seachem's Malawi Buffer) the pH holds steady between water changes. I'm also using PFS.


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## greenterror85 (Feb 19, 2015)

Hi all....thanks for all the great advice. I really don't have any reason for not wanting to use the baking soda. It's just that I've learned that people sometimes shy away from the "home remedies". I will take your advice on the baking soda and keep using it. As far as the hardness in my water....I've never tested it but I've never had any sort of hard water build up in any sink or tub in my house and I don't run a water softener. I'm assuming that I have soft water from the lack of build up.

After I add some baking soda, how long should I wait before testing the water? I usually wait 24 hours but I don't think I have to wait that long do I??

Thanks!


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## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

I often hear hobbyists say they want to avoid using "chemicals" to treat their water, opting instead to do something "natural" (i.e. adding a substrate to buffer). The methods are similar, but the "chemicals" are usually more effective and easier to control.

On testing: assuming your filtration turns your tank over multiple times an hour, the water is theoretically completely mixed in a matter of minutes. Anything after an hour should yield an accurate result. :thumb:


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## greenterror85 (Feb 19, 2015)

Thank You!


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

Maximus74 said:


> How do I calculate how much baking soda to put? I have a 150gal with the PH at 7.5, so how much teaspoon should I put to raise the PH to 8? Also any particular brand of baking soda?
> 
> Thanks


I have a 180 gallon with tap water around the same PH as you. I put in about 5 tablespoons (Not too heaping) after weekly 75% water changes. Brings my PH to the 8.2-8.4 area. Just to give you an idea.


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## Maximus74 (Mar 31, 2014)

Thanks for all the tips... this forum is amazing...


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## Cyphound (Oct 20, 2014)

Want to note that you should never raise you ph more then .02 at a time to avoid ph shock.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Look at the ingredients on the expensive commercial salt/buffer mixes. You will see calcium carbonate = baking soda. You are using the same thing, just not paying for the brand.


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