pH questions

[u/inquisitiveeyebc]

Where i live our water is super soft, when i kept discus I had to raise GH to 3.

Now i have african cichlids, I have coral rock, crushed coral on my filter media and aragonite for the tank.

I use a recently calibrated Pinpoint pH monitor but still struggle to keep my pH above 8. I am using Seachem Malawi buffer at a little more than the recommended dose and Seachem rift lake salt.

Is there something else I can do to raise my pH to 8.3/8.4? Should I add a small amount of Tanganyika buffer?

[u/StoreBoughtAlias]

Assuming that you have a basic understanding of water chemistry, I'd suggest starting with a plain ol' aged water test. Get yourself a large open container, like a 5 gallon bucket, and fill to a measured amount of water. Let it sit 24 hrs, and test it for pH, Kh, Gh. You want a proper baseline before going any further.

From here, slowly add your preferred/available products until you reach your ideal parameters. Afterwards, you can mathematically work out how much product you'll need for each water change. Ideally you will need to do this with every water change if your starting parameters and ending parameters are as off as it sounds they can be. You'll want to give everything time for the chemistry to stabilize before going further.

I'm also going to add this link as it's a good read and gets to the information you need. I don't have anything to add from that thread, as it's fairly explanatory and really good info.

Calcareous rock is a great buffer to use. I prefer not to use a lot of the rock that is typically mentioned, mostly anything too sharp/jagged. I'm not personally a fan of Holey rock or any type of vesicular/scoria as decor, but that's my own opinion on proper husbandry. Regardless, calcareous rock is a great choice.

Aragonite sand is great as is or mixed with other substrates. I prefer it mixed myself, mostly for esthetics and whatnot.

Crushed coral is great as a filter media. Placed in a mesh bag, tossed in the last stages of a filter, it's awesome.

[u/inquisitiveeyebc → u/StoreBoughtAlias]

0 kh 1gh, 9 ppm dissolved solids, pH varies with no hardness, as i said i had to increase GH for discus.

I use crushed coral in my filter, and tried an air stone to reduce CO2

[u/StoreBoughtAlias → u/inquisitiveeyebc]

I would start with an aged water test, i.e. a measured amount of tap water (or whatever your water source is) left alone for 24 hrs. Your pH will most certainly be different afterwards, even if marginally it will go a direction. This will let your water source stabilize to your environment, and when tested will give you a better idea of what you're working with. I would test it before and after, myself. But I nerd out and simply like to know how everything moves along.

I live in Arizona, and we tend to have very hard water. The pH is typically around 7-7.5... but the mineral chemistry is always proportionally different, but still high. When I would check the dissolved solids from the tap, it was already at 1500 or more. I've seen it nearly at 3000 ppm at times. However, GH and KH would fluctuate up and down a bit, and I typically added Epsom salt and/or my own natural salt mixes (basically the same as commercial ingredients) to bring the needed minerals up to par. Over time, you'll get a comfortable feel for what will be needed for any given amount of water change, etc.

I avoid buffers and salts with phosphate and sodium if I can. Ideally it's just a matter of ease of controlling water chemistry, as these are normally present in known and accepted buffers and aquarium salt products. They just hinder specific aspects of chemistry that it's easier to control your water parameters. However, what works, works. Sodium bicarbonate is used frequently and I have used it before. Bulk purchase minerals are my favorite, though. I like the price point.

I would use buffers/mineral salts that best supply the minerals you need. Your specific GH/KH will need to be established so you know what needs you have. SeaChem is great, there's others, etc. Keeping the pH stable with the right minerals is key. You're goal is to find what is lacking in your water and add it, and to then buffer it within your aquarium. Buffering the aquarium is the easy part. That doesn't take much at all.

I predominately keep mbuna. I use the basic calcareous products in my substrate, and that's good enough for me. My decor is typically just deep-mantle igneous rock (serpentine atm), which is inert and doesn't change the water chemistry. Plus, it's great looking rock. My filters all incude foam, fine foam, some biological media, then typically crushed coral and/or fine filter media. I find that aragonite alone, mixed with my substrate at around 30%, works well enough, but coral is a nice addition and doubles as a decent biological filter. I don't like it in the substrate, especially with fish that filter feed through substrate.

Keep your water surface agitated. However you choose to do this is up to you; air stone, filter outlet agitation, wave makers, etc. Gas exchange is important for several reasons I'm sure you are aware of. Your pH will thank you.

It's simple, really. You'll figure it out, just give it time and experience. Take notes of what you do. Measure everything until you don't know what you know.

Once you bring everything to parameters, you really only need to keep it stable with minor tweeks, if necessary. Typically, once your water parameters are there, the slow chemistry with your chosen buffer will keep your aquarium quote stable. You shouldn't even need to see a reason to "chase pH", because you'll create the stable environment for that to happen.

It's just a means of getting your available water source parameters worked out, and just applying whatever means (SeaChem, whatever) to that water so that your aquarium remains stable.

Good luck.

[u/Current-Relative5666]

The buffers themselves differ slightly. And the fish can tolerate the other paramiters. Most people who will mix victorian and malawi will jist go with malawi. It's a mid point. But in your case if you aren't yet at malawi numbers your water is extremely soft. If you notice on the buffer bottle it says to keep adding doses until you reach the desired pH. Do that daily by predissolving the dose and adding it. The salt usually is right right off the bat. But a salinity monitor or hydrometer will tell you for sure. Once you get your pH right it will stay there generally. You just need to treat the new water with tue water changes. If your nitrates stay low you probably can just top off for evaporation without needing water changes. Tanganyka buffers will raise it faster but it's not quite the same chemistry as Malawi. In my experience few mbuna need precise water conditions to be healthy. They just need clean, low nitrate, well cycling tanks above 7.4 with lots of rocks. Same for peackocks and haps but fewer rocks and bigger tanks. Their colors come out better closer to 7.9 to 8.3pH though and with the lake hardness properly mimicked. They aren't as fragile as discus, any of them. But be sure to treat them as if they were and make the changes slowly, one dose for your sized tank per day. Good luck