Water Changes for Africans
- Thread starter Starbury03
- Start date
I agree...when trying to adjust pH down. However, adjusting pH, kH, and gH for Africans is easier. When you increase buffering capacity you're actually adding salts and minerals. The higher the buffering capacity the less pH swings. It seems a little more natural adjusting your pH up (for Africans) rather than down. Playing chemist and keeping the parameters of the fresh water and old water the same is the tricky part....but this is another debate. 
The water in your tank right now....where did you get that water? If it is your tap water, then the pH is probably the same. So you probably don't need to worry about pH when changing your water. Unless of course, you decide to increase buffering. In which case you should read up on buffering. There are some good threads here on buffering. Do a search on buffering.
You'll also find a concoction that Soulfish suggests. It is a mix of epsoms salts, baking soda, and instant ocean.
The water in your tank right now....where did you get that water? If it is your tap water, then the pH is probably the same. So you probably don't need to worry about pH when changing your water. Unless of course, you decide to increase buffering. In which case you should read up on buffering. There are some good threads here on buffering. Do a search on buffering.
You'll also find a concoction that Soulfish suggests. It is a mix of epsoms salts, baking soda, and instant ocean.
Yes I agree with Flex26 and I will also agree with Soulfish although he hasn't posted yet .
Starbury you can add a teaspoon of baking soda and epsom salt to your water when you do waterchanges. Once a week is recommended for africans they can pollute the water quickly because we all know how they Love to eat. and it's irrisistable to not feed them when they are all up at the top splashing you. hehe
You can monitor your PH if you'd like, to see if it actually drops... it shouldnt... if you do regular waterchanges.... it's not hard, and IMO part of the responsibility of keeping Africans
.Starbury you can add a teaspoon of baking soda and epsom salt to your water when you do waterchanges. Once a week is recommended for africans they can pollute the water quickly because we all know how they Love to eat. and it's irrisistable to not feed them when they are all up at the top splashing you. hehe
You can monitor your PH if you'd like, to see if it actually drops... it shouldnt... if you do regular waterchanges.... it's not hard, and IMO part of the responsibility of keeping Africans
Your pH probably dropped because the minerals in your water dissolved. No water changes means the minerals in the water do not get replaced. Do a water change....your pH should go back up and stabalize.
Do you have the gH, kH, and high range pH test kits? If not, then I suggest you get them....especially before you start adding baking soda and epsom salts. Then you should do some experimenting in a clean 5g bucket. You need to see the effects the baking soda and epsoms salts have on the water.
But before you start experimenting, you need to read up on buffering capacity. Understanding the basics will help you tremendously!! It's like ecotank said, your fish will be happier and healthier with a stable pH
Good luck!!
btw....epsom salt is a mineral that has a variety of uses....mainly medicinal use. So you can find it in your grocery store in the first aid section.
Do you have the gH, kH, and high range pH test kits? If not, then I suggest you get them....especially before you start adding baking soda and epsom salts. Then you should do some experimenting in a clean 5g bucket. You need to see the effects the baking soda and epsoms salts have on the water.
But before you start experimenting, you need to read up on buffering capacity. Understanding the basics will help you tremendously!! It's like ecotank said, your fish will be happier and healthier with a stable pH
Good luck!!
btw....epsom salt is a mineral that has a variety of uses....mainly medicinal use. So you can find it in your grocery store in the first aid section.
Agreed on the test kits, don't start messing with the water until you understand your tap water first. Don't mess with your water until you're sure you can maintain it without it being a pain in the neck.
baking soda = sodium bicarbonate
epsom salt = magnesium sulphate
Personally I add a mix of Tropic Marin, AF Cichlid Chemistry, and the above two to my tap water. I mix it and condition it in a water butt before doing my weekly water changes, this ensures that all my tanks have the same water values, irrespective of decor and substrate buffering. This helps a lot if I need to move a fish between tanks.
Check your tank values, check your tap water then monitor the effect of the chemicals on the water. Change the tank water values SLOWLY, no more than pH 0.2 in a day, no more than 0.5 in a single week and then maintain it.
baking soda = sodium bicarbonate
epsom salt = magnesium sulphate
Personally I add a mix of Tropic Marin, AF Cichlid Chemistry, and the above two to my tap water. I mix it and condition it in a water butt before doing my weekly water changes, this ensures that all my tanks have the same water values, irrespective of decor and substrate buffering. This helps a lot if I need to move a fish between tanks.
Check your tank values, check your tap water then monitor the effect of the chemicals on the water. Change the tank water values SLOWLY, no more than pH 0.2 in a day, no more than 0.5 in a single week and then maintain it.
Somonas - my Tangs will never come to the top to feed, they don't seem to get tame like other cichlids. In fact, they will mostly refuse to feed from the surface too, only the synos (!!) and the calvus do that and even then the calvus take 10 seconds to pick a target, line it up and dart for it.
TIP! - I get my epsom salt and bicarb in bulk from an online shop that makes bath bombs and soaps. After assurances that there is no cross-contamination when measuring and weighing that is. It also means that I can earn brownie points by runnning the wife an occasional salts bath which is very relaxing!
TIP! - I get my epsom salt and bicarb in bulk from an online shop that makes bath bombs and soaps. After assurances that there is no cross-contamination when measuring and weighing that is. It also means that I can earn brownie points by runnning the wife an occasional salts bath which is very relaxing!
Hey Soulfish
I am currently adding a handful of Crystal brand water softener salt (99.8% pure) to my aquariums after each waterchange. What additional benefits would I get from using Instant Ocean? instead of this water softener salt.
Is instant ocean the same as evaporated sea salt? or are there other things in it? (I am not being facetious I really want to know)
I am currently adding a handful of Crystal brand water softener salt (99.8% pure) to my aquariums after each waterchange. What additional benefits would I get from using Instant Ocean? instead of this water softener salt.
Is instant ocean the same as evaporated sea salt? or are there other things in it? (I am not being facetious I really want to know)
Somonas - hate to jump in ahead of the mighty Soulfish, but I would consider it very unlikely that water softener salt would contain the same trace elements as a marine salt product. Even if it did, the manufacturers would have no consideration for content of other trace elements - unlike a marine salt manufacturer who has to specify the content of all elements on the side of the box and allow its reputation to stand or fall by it.
99.8% pure suggests to me that the manufacturer's objective is to remove other trace elements and produce as pure a product as possible.
99.8% pure suggests to me that the manufacturer's objective is to remove other trace elements and produce as pure a product as possible.
I add the marine salt for the trace elements not the salt itself, but I only add 2 teaspoons to 40 gallons, not the 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons that SoulFish recommends.
Trace elements is another reason why I persist with the AF Cichlid Chemistry, but am thinking maybe I should switch to a liquid trace elements product and ditch the Cichlid Chemistry. I am already adding the bicard and epsom salt more purely and economically.
It's hard to argue against SoulFish's recipe as he's had so much success with it, and I'm sure a lot of other fishkeepers follow much the same recipe.
Trace elements is another reason why I persist with the AF Cichlid Chemistry, but am thinking maybe I should switch to a liquid trace elements product and ditch the Cichlid Chemistry. I am already adding the bicard and epsom salt more purely and economically.
It's hard to argue against SoulFish's recipe as he's had so much success with it, and I'm sure a lot of other fishkeepers follow much the same recipe.
I add softener salt as a supplement because I believe it is exactly the same as the salt you buy at the LFS. In all the reading I've done I've read that salt is not harmful for fish and helps with gill osmosis or something to that affect.
I think I'll switch to instant ocean purely for the trace elements. it is more expensive but if we can afford to keep african cichlids we can affoard to buy sea salt
I think I'll switch to instant ocean purely for the trace elements. it is more expensive but if we can afford to keep african cichlids we can affoard to buy sea salt