# Crushed Coral Aquaclear 110



## hatsoff389 (Feb 28, 2012)

Hi all,

I put some crushed coral in two of my aquaclear 110 filters to help buffer the ph and my water has had a slight haze ever since. The crushed coral I used was taken from another established tank I have. Will this haze eventually go away? I went from having a crystal clear tank all the time to having this haze. Ph was consistently 7.2 and now has been up to 7.6. Is it even worth putting this crushed coral in my filters? The crushed coral went in the filters on Saturday, and two water changes later, the haze is still there. Will my mbuna color up and breed just as much with a 7.2 ph?

Ryan


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## tanker3 (May 18, 2015)

1) From experience, CC has no to very little effect on buffering water.
2) The haze is probably dust from the CC. 
3) You need a micron filter to clear the haze.


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## punman (Oct 24, 2003)

I wonder if you did 25% water changes, say every second day for 4 or 5 changes, you might get rid of most of it?


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## hatsoff389 (Feb 28, 2012)

tanker3 said:


> 1) From experience, CC has no to very little effect on buffering water.
> 2) The haze is probably dust from the CC.
> 3) You need a micron filter to clear the haze.


Wow. Everywhere I read, a lot of posts say if the cc is in the filter, it does a great job of buffering the ph. You may be right because my ph is still only up from 7.2 to 7.6.


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## engotski (Dec 29, 2014)

tanker3 said:


> 1) From experience, CC has no to very little effect on buffering water.


If you have a tap pH of 6.5 for example, its not going to bring it up to 8.2 or whatever. Crushed coral does a good job in stabilizing pH at the higher readings or bring pH up by decimals (not a full point IME).


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## hatsoff389 (Feb 28, 2012)

Is a ph of 7.2 ok for breeding and color or should I look to start using baking soda? Everything I read says a consistent ph is more important then anything else.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

What kind of fish are you keeping? Crushed coral has to be washed and washed and washed.

What are your test results for GH and KH?

For African Rift Lake Cichlids I would like it to be just a little higher. Like 7.6 or higher. For other fish maybe not.


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## hatsoff389 (Feb 28, 2012)

Never tested the kh and gh. Will have to do that. Kh and gh is alkalinity and hardness correct? I have rusties, zebra chilumba luwino reef, yellow labs and maingano.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would assume you will need to use baking soda. Are you using the high range pH test? Have you tested your tap water? No water softener? Have you tested your tap water after letting it sit for 24 hours?


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## hatsoff389 (Feb 28, 2012)

No I have not DJ. I will get all this tested and then maybe you kind folks on here can give me a hand to get this fixed.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

You are not using a water softener, right?

Whatever you do, don't change pH by more than 0.02 per day.


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## hatsoff389 (Feb 28, 2012)

Not using a water softener. I do two 50% water changes per week. With an average ph of 7.2, how much making soda should I put in the tank to start? And I'm guessing to start adding baking soda with my next water change?


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## hatsoff389 (Feb 28, 2012)

Here are my numbers in my tank.

Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
Chlorine 0
PH 7.2
KH 80
GH 75

Low and soft water correct? Should I just leave the tank alone or look to
these numbers up. Last water change was 12 hours ago.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Is your pH stable at 7.2? Any fluctuating?
If so, I'd ditch the coral. 7.2 would be considered low for Malawi, but I think you'll be fine/ The literature I've read here and other sites/books advises to be at 7 or above.


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## hatsoff389 (Feb 28, 2012)

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Is your pH stable at 7.2? Any fluctuating?
> If so, I'd ditch the coral. 7.2 would be considered low for Malawi, but I think you'll be fine/ The literature I've read here and other sites/books advises to be at 7 or above.


Ph usually around 7.2 but the kh and gh numbers are awfully low aren't they?


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

If your pH is stable then kH is high enough to keep 7.2.

If you'd like to raise your gH then add Epsom salts. Experiment on a small volume of water to get your desired reading. Then do the math for the volume of your aquarium. When doing water changes add enough Epsom for the volume you are adding. Same goes kH, if you're not satisfied with your levels. Instead of Epsom, use baking soda.


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## hatsoff389 (Feb 28, 2012)

Thanks. I'm going to keep a close eye on my ph for a while. If it stays stable at 7.2, I'm not going to add anything.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

Sounds good


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