# PH Level for Mbuna Cichlids?



## ryan1423 (Oct 24, 2009)

Im new to this whole forum thing..........

I have a 38 gallon tank with four african cichlids. Not sure on the exact species but I know I have two electric yellows and one electric blue. The other guy, I have no clue what he is. Anyway, I was wondering what my PH should be for African cichlids. Any ideas?


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## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

around 8 is good for malawi


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Welcome to Cichlid-forum!

What is the pH of your tap water? You may not have to change your pH to be exactly 8.

What are the dimensions of your tank? I have a 38G that is 36" x 12". You may want to reconfigure your stock list if your tank is 36" long. Also Malawi don't pair so two of any species is not a good idea. They are harem breeders so if you want mixed gender groups you want one male and several females of each. This is to spread aggression among many females and avoid excessive injury to any one fish.


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

a steady ph that is low is better than an unstable chemically modified ph that is around 8

check your tap.

hopefully you'll get lucky and your city will love you like mine does me... 8.2 out of the tap..


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

I think you'll probably need a bigger tank or different fish.
I agree that stable pH is better than perfect pH. Test your tap water. It may be ok.


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## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

I've had mbuna in water with a pH as high as 8 and as low as 7.4
I see no differences in the fish, color, behavior, nor reproduction abilities (aka curse).


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## ryan1423 (Oct 24, 2009)

Thanks for the info...


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

I use a buffer in my tank and it maintains the tank water at 8.2. I will test my water straight from the tap, depending on what it is if it's around the 7.5 area do you think it would be safe to ditch the buffer?


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

yeah i think if you did it gradually over a couple of weeks it would be ok....

think about it like this... in lake malawi they may have water with a ph of 8.2-8.4 but most everyones fish on this forum dont come straight from lake malawi.. they come from a breeder who raises them in whatever ph they have.

i would imagine africans that we buy from pet stores or online (excluding F1's) were raised in ph ranging from 6.4-8.4.

that range is a total guess but it would have to be true with the wide variety of ph's out there and the number of breeders.

do you think a breeder with 7.0 ph tap would buffer all his tanks for africans so they will have an 8.. i dont think so


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I don't know, I always ask the stores and breeders I buy from what pH they keep them at, primarily so I can acclimate as required. I also test the water in the bag to be sure.

I have never received a fish in water less than pH=7.8. Both of my favorite LFSs use the cichlid salts they sell in their African display tanks. The one hatchery "near" me has tap water with the correct pH. Maybe that's part of how they decide where to locate or what fish to market, LOL.

Dj823cichlid, over time as mentioned by GaFishMan1181 that's what I would do. Well, first do a 24 hour test on your tap water to make sure the pH=7.5 is stable. Run water from the tap into a bowl, let it stand 24 hours and test pH. If it's still 7.5, then ditching your buffer over time is an option.

You would not want to do a 50% water change with pH=7.5 water because that might shock the fish. I'd change it less than 0.2 with each weekly water change.

I'd also put crushed coral in my filters as part of the media to try to nudge the pH a decimal place or two higher. And use aragonite substrate. And limestone rock decor, LOL!


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

:thumb: Thanks guys I'll give that a shot


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