# How much crushed coral?



## bertolli (Aug 18, 2009)

How many lbs of crushed coral do u guys think ill need for my 50 gal tank 36x18x18
Its gonna be tangs so i guess i want it to be around 8.6
Water comes out of the tap at 7.6
Big Al's has the 15lb bags and the 40lb for good prices so I'm not sure what to get.
thx


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

I have 30 lbs. in my 55 gallon(4 feet long) and it gives me complete coverage at about 2 inches deep.
Try to avoid deep substrate beds because they can be difficult to clean and keep clean.
By the way, I used 15 lbs Florida crushed coral and 15 lbs. of the kind with the little shells in it from Caribsea.

On another note, your pH should be fine given the water is stable and consistent.
If you really want to raise your pH crushed coral substrate may not get it where you want it.
You would get better results putting crushed coral in your filters or dissolving baking soda.
I have the same pH out of tap as you and in my experience crushed coral only raises to 7.8 and baking soda can bump up to 8.4.


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## bertolli (Aug 18, 2009)

I'm not sure I understand you.
Would putting in baking soda be something I would have to do every water change?
I'm looking to have a permanent solution.
My filter is going to be a biowheel so I'm not sure if I could put substrate in it.
Also my tank has a larger footprint than yours.
I should have added that I plan on mixing some sand in with the substrate.


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

Yes, you would have to put baking soda in at every water change to maintain the desired pH.
The way to add crushed coral to filters is to place some in a mesh bag or container that come with some filters.
I don't think your tank has a larger foot print.
Mixing in sand won't be a good idea because you won't see it from the crushed coral and you will suck it up during substrate cleaning.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

IF... your tap water is 7.6... and your crushed coral substrate makes your aquarium water 8.6...

When you did a 50% water change your aquarium's PH would drop considerably... then slowly rise back to 8.6...

Doing this every week would force your fish to live in a constant PH swing...

Your fish will do much better kept at a stable 7.6 PH, even though it's technically 'to low'... than they will constantly swinging between 8.0 ~8.6...

Adding baking soda to the water added after a water change is very common and fairly simple... If you are willing to do this then there is nothing wrong with using crushed coral as substrate... But if you are not interested in adding baking soda (or something with similar effect) to new water, then I suggest against using crushed coral and just keeping the 7.6 PH...


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## wheatbackdigger (May 11, 2008)

A couple things to remember when trying to adjust pH. The pH scale is a logarithmic scale. So that being said....7.0 pH is neutral, 8.0 pH has 10 times more alkalinity and 9.0 has 100 times more alkalinity than 7.0. Same is true for acidic water going in the other direction. Baking soda alone will never raise your pH to 8.6 by itself, chemically impossible. A stable pH is by far better for the fish than constantly swinging your pH. A constant 7.6 pH should be fine for any tank raised Tangs. KH (buffering capacity) also plays a role with your pH. You may be able to raise your pH to 8.4, 8.6, but how long before it starts dropping? All this being said, I have decent water conditions out of my tap for Rift Lake biotypes. pH 7.8, kH 200ppm, gH 400 ppm. With the addition of a few pieces of limestone my ph raises to 8.3 and is steady between my water changes. This is why I chose to raise African instead of New World.


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## bertolli (Aug 18, 2009)

Great. I was questioning that method because I didn't really want to have crushed coral since I'm gonna get sand cuz i want some shellies and some lamps. As long as they will thrive in 7.6pH thats fine. I'll add some limestone which will buffer the pH some and i need to read in to kH and gH some but it's pretty high and steady for my mbunas. I add about 3-4 handfulls of aquarium salt per waterchange.


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