I realize there will be some trial and error involved in this but is there a general formula for how much crushed coral would be needed (lbs per gallon of water) to maintain an 8.0 - 8.5ph in my tank. I'm currently using the buffer Seachem makes which works great but I'm looking to keep the maintenance on the cheap and easy.

I imagine the amount would be somewhat dependent on the type on crushed coral. I read that the Florida crushed coral with aragonite it especially efficient. That's probably what I was going to purchase but I'm open to suggestions.

what is you ph without buffering?

I often use crushed coral or aragonite sand as substrate to keep the ph buffered but I don't usually measure it out (just cover the bottom).
I have met a few people who place the crushed coral in filter bags and use what appears to be 3 or 4 cups in a 55g...

but, as you said, it will take some trial and error to find out how much is needed for your water

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida

Hey Kogo. Sorry from the slip of the tongue on my nitrate post.

I was using city water and the ph ran about 7.5. But it wasn't stable. I had a scare when it dipped down to 5.5. Since then I've been using reverse osmosis water which needs the buffering after being stripped clean. My ph stays steadily at 8.

For a long time I was into the bare minimum, just keeping the filters clean, changing chemical media and once a month water changes. I got lazy about testing the water and thats when I had that ph scare. Since then I trying to stay on top of it and keep everthing as close to perfect as possible.

5.5 would scare me too!

a steady ph is key with Africans, so if your solid at 8.0 I wouldn't worry too much about getting it up that extra bit. But, if you want it perfect, using natural buffers is defiantly the way to go IMHO. I just don't know the formula thou. let us know how much you end up using... good luck.

as far as the other post, don't worry, every forum has it's own vibe and it's the moderators job to encourage communication and good will... so no harm done

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Gold Coast Aquarium Society South Florida

Thanks. I will post back when I figure it out. I'll probably keep using the seachem stuff until I upgrade my tank. I'm looking for a 90gal.

Are you going to use the crushed coral in a sock or as a substrate?

I might try the crushed coral in a mesh bag buried in the substrate in my current 55gal setup. When I'm able to upgrade to a bigger tank I hope to invest in the cichlid substrate. Then it should be a non-issue. I think I'm probably overthinking this. While a very small amount might not buffer the tank enough, it seems as though there is no such thing as too much crushed coral. Many I'll just put as large an amount as is practical for the space and see what happens.

Anyone ever used baking soda to keep the ph up? I hear you can't find it commonly as pure sodium bicarbonate and that it always has an additive to prevent clumping that you wouldn't want in your tank.

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Originally Posted by cschauerj Anyone ever used baking soda to keep the ph up? I hear you can't find it commonly as pure sodium bicarbonate and that it always has an additive to prevent clumping that you wouldn't want in your tank.

I use baking soda to raise the ph for my N. Cylindricus, along with marine salt and get an 8.4 - 8.6. Not as high as I would like it for Tanganyikans. But they are happy and healthy. My baking soda doesn't seem to have an anti-clumping agent since it clumps with great regularity ... lol. I believe it is table salt that has the anti-clumping additives, but using marine salt instead prevents putting unwanted chemicals into the tank.

The formula that I have read for homemade cichlid salts to raise ph and GH/KH is one teaspoon each baking soda and marine salt, and one tablespoon epsom salt per every five gallons of water but needs to be adjusted for your area's tap water.

Use the crushed coral either in a mesh bag/sock or in your filter. Don't put it in as substrate as it can easily cut you fishes' mouths.

Jeff