# Raising PH or Resisting PH Drop?



## Steev (Jun 20, 2011)

I have a 120 gallon tank with 100Lbs of Reef Rock and 80Lbs of Caribsea Cichlid sand. My tap ph is 7.8 and with the reef rock and sand in the tank my ph stays at 7.8 2 weeks running. Now I have read a lot about the sand and from what I learned it should raise the ph to 8.2?

My question: is the sand and reef rock just going to help resist ph drop or will it raise it over time? If it is going to raise it should I just use the buffer recipe and bring it to a ph of 8.2?

What I was hoping for is the sand and rock to raise my ph to 8.2 or just resist ph drop. Then I would do 20% water changes without adding anything and 20% shouldn't change the ph. Tank is cycled with no fish...

Thanks for the reply's,

Steev


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

Steev said:


> I have a 120 gallon tank with 100Lbs of Reef Rock and 80Lbs of Caribsea Cichlid sand. My tap ph is 7.8 and with the reef rock and sand in the tank my ph stays at 7.8 2 weeks running. Now I have read a lot about the sand and from what I learned it should raise the ph to 8.2?
> 
> My question: is the sand and reef rock just going to help resist ph drop or will it raise it over time? If it is going to raise it should I just use the buffer recipe and bring it to a ph of 8.2?
> 
> ...


Are you sure your fish are going to need a pH of 8.2? Most african cichlids don't need it to be that high, but would be fine with 7.8.

If it has been in there a week and it has leveled off at 7.8 it probably isn't going to to up much more on it's own. The alkaline rocks will resist pH drop pretty well. If you need to raise pH, don't spend money on expensive buffers, just add baking soda, allow time for it to adjust, and test the water to see how much you need to raise it the desired amount. Start with a few level teaspoons, and go from there. If you add aquarium salt, it will raise the total dissolved solids and stabilize pH some too.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

I suggest you test both your tap and tank water's KH (carbonate hardness) levels. That will give you an indicator of how well it will hold it's current pH level.
Having said that, your fish will prefer a steady pH level as opposed to one that swings with water changes. What do you plan on stocking? 7.8 should be fine for most species.
Some argue that because cichlid tanks in general undergo a large and frequent water change schedule, the substrate and/or rocks don't really have time to break down and buffer the water.
You might want to give this a read if you need more water chemistry info.


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## DrgRcr (Jun 23, 2009)

As GTZ said test your tap water's KH. If it is above 3-1/2 degrees or about 62ppm, I wouldn't worry about messing with the pH. 7.8 is fine for most rifties(except for maybe some super sensitive wild caughts). The sand, if it is aragonite, certainly won't hurt in respect to buffering. I would suggest water changes larger than 20% once you are stocked as well. If your tap and tank are close together in params, there's really no reason not to do more. Generally, many seem to do 50% or more, myself included. The fish will thank you for it, and you won't find yourself fighting a nitrate battle down the road, unless you are grossly overstocked and/or underfiltered.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

You can save many headaches and lots of worry over sick fish, by letting the PH be at 7.8. You may find, in fact, that the difference is often a matter of how you read the test. Without true lab grade testing, I would not attempt change.


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## Steev (Jun 20, 2011)

I do 30% water changes twice a week on my 4 other tanks... My thought was that the coral and cichlid sand would raise the ph through the week and then I would be lowering it with water changes. So to save the fish from ph swings I thought I might have to raise the ph to 8.2 and keep it there.

My tap water KH is 5 Degrees and I agree with everyone that it's best not to mess with the ph. So does anyone think I will have a problem with ph swings with the coral and sand in the tank, that's my main worry.

Cheers


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## DrgRcr (Jun 23, 2009)

If your tap is 7.8 and the tank winds up at 8.2, in theory, a 50% change would only lower it to 8. It would be highly unlikely that such a small change would do them any harm IMO. But if your other routine of twice weekly 30% changes is working well for you and keeping nitrate in check, then stick with that.

My tap and tank differ slightly as well and I've yet to have problems. FWIW, my tap is roughly 7.6-7.8, and when it off gases, it rises up close to 8. I do weekly 50% or more on all my bigger tanks, and 75% every 2-3 days on fry and growout tank.


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## Steev (Jun 20, 2011)

Thanks DrgRcr,

That's what I wanted to know... So the water changes should not affect the fish that much even if it does rise. What I think will happen is my water changes will keep the tank at 7.8 regardless and the coral and sand will help eliminate a ph drop from happening.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

> My tap water KH is 5 Degrees


That's what will stabilize pH. Keep up with the water changes and buffers will be replenished that way. The substrate may help a bit also, but probably not dramatically. Generally, if you have a water change schedule that keeps nitrates under control, buffers will not drop dangerously low. The end product of the nitrogen cycle is acidic and 'consumes' buffers. Test nitrates and KH before and after water changes, and you'll get a picture of what's happening, the effectiveness of your methods, and also any changes that may be needed.

Don't worry at all about any changes in pH from water changes. Focus on KH and all will be fine.


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