Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

[rrocket2002]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

LMAO....Scott, keep them coming because this is a site for learning and you teach so well.  Even I understood your post...LOL

Raul

[wvgdiscus]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

Scott I believe you hit that nail dead on the head.
I guess now school is out for the day.

[Hanson77]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

Well why the heck didn't ya just say that yesterday.....LOL!!!!!

Thanks SCOTT....and everyone else who contributed to our lesson.

[SOULJAA]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

Scott, I'm having the exact same problem!!! The only diff. is my tank is 200 gals and has Midas, Red Devils, Dovii, Flowerhorns, Jack Dempseys...South Americans. Yes, I do have quite a few fish in there. And yes, they do  :axe:  Small nicks and scrapes turn into large wounds/ulcers b/c of the low pH, in essence, weakening the fish immune system (thus says an article I read on the net). It makes sense with regards to a pH crash contributing to stress, so on and so forth.

I do have some TX holey rock in the tank (7 med.-large pieces been there for about 10 days). My pH is reading 6.4 (tank), and 7.2-7.4 (tap).

After reading your "Harvard-worthy dissertation"  :clap:  how much baking soda would you suggest I use to establish a buffer?

[Hanson77]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

SOULJAA....do you have a High pH test kit?  SCOTT is right, tap should be higher than that.  My reading of 7.2-7.4 was because that was as high as the kit would read.

[SOULJAA]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

Yeah, and I used it. My high pH indictor read it as 7.4, and that's on a scale of 7.4-8.8. My reg. pH scale is 6.0-7.2.

I search the net and found that there's home remedies to raise pH, but it has little sustainability if you don't also raise your buffering capacity. So the elixir I'm going w/ is:

Epsom salt.....1 tblspn./5 gal.
Baking soda....1 tspn./5 gal.
Aquarium salt (or Sea Salt from H.E.B. or even non-iodized table salt) for potassium and other trace elements...1 tspn./5 gals

Mix these in a 1:1:1 ratio, dissolve in water from tank, and add over the course of 2-3 days (only b/c this decreases the chances of pH shock) OR until you hit the pH you want. Be sure to check your pH value before each dosage...don't want you to overshoot your target.

[armthehomeless]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

Just a reminder Souljaa, I'm pretty sure that SA cichlids like more neutral waters, (around 7). You don't want it up around 8.2 like the African cichlids.  Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

[Mzungu]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

I'm with you, arm.

So, wait, your high pH test read it as 7.4, which is the lowest possible reading on that particular test? Did you test it with the other regular pH test?

I think just raising buffering capacity will solve the problem, and your plan will work for that.  :)

Also, I'm not sure the low pH is weakening the fish's immune system. The fluctuations will, though.

[SCOTT]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

Keep the PH where it is Soul, add the salt and the baking soda tho. The salt will help with the stress from the fighting, and the baking soda will ensure a good buffer. An interesting side note to salt that is rarely mentioned is that it "lubricates" the fishes plumbing, which allows waste to pass more easily, thus reducing the chance of intestinal tract problems. So salt, no matter the setup is always a good idea.
When adding the bakind soda, use small ammounts as it can and will affect your PH. Baking soda alone can raise the PH in your tank to 8.4. What you want is a very small dose just to help stabilize the buffer and thats all. For the majority of SA cichlids you want your water in the 7.2-7.6 range. Most of the literature you will find will say 7.0, but the slightly higher PH will encourage spawning and larger batchs of fry. Above 7.6 or so the effect takes a sharp turn however with very limited production.

[wvgdiscus]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

Correct me if I am wrong.
Is it not the Epsom salt that will work best on internal problem & Aquarium salt works for external problems.

Walter

[Hanson77]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

I don't know.....but that SCOTT guy is just a wealth of knowledge....LOL!!!  You would think that he has been doing this for awhile or something....LOL!!!

[SOULJAA]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

Okay ya'll...

Arm, you're correct. SA's are in the range of 7, with the exception of the Flowerhorns which prefer a pH of 7.5 roughly. But they will just have to settle for 7.0, maybe 7.2 at the highest. So I'm not tryin' to "africanize" them, but I do need to get the pH considerately higher than 6.4.

Mzungu...my reg. pH test gave me a reading of 7.2 which is the highest level it would read. I knew that, so I tested the tap water using both (reg. and high) simultaneously in diff. test tubes. As far as immune diminishment, I was talking about the huge fluctuation.  So, you are correct also.

Scott, I'm thinking the baking soda/salt will do it a lot of justice b/c I don't think I had no buffer whatsoever in place.  Well, at least 1 that's not worth a spit. So you're saying...make the elixir...just w/o the Epsom salt which will harden the water?

[SOULJAA]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

CORRECTION  Mzungu...my reg. pH kit goes up to 7.6. My bad!!!
So the reading was up around 7.6-7.8.

Just tested my water again (about 6-7 hrs. after cleaning, rearranging, water change, etc...), and my pH is at about 7.0. So, I'm 'bout to go mix up "The Elixir"....

[SCOTT]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

Both are basically NaCl, and in my experience anyway there seems to be little difference. In fact, I have switched to the much cheaper non-iodized table salt. You can buy it in bulk at Sam's for next to nothing. All the salt I have used seemed to produce the same effect, healthier looking and acting fish. Why pay more than you really need to when all you are after is the basic NaCl compound? It's not like you are trying to set up a reef tank, just adding  a little calcium chloride to the water.

[Mzungu]

Re: Keeping higher pH with driftwood?

Or sodium chloride, whatever floats your boat.  :bigrazz: