African Cichlid tank help..

[Marx]

I converted my &5gal from tropical to African..

I added Crush Coral to the substrate.. and mixed it all together.. add lots of rocks.. and now i need to recycle my tank.. i never disconnected the filter or let it sit for more then 2 hours with out circulation.. but i added 3 droppers of ammonia and the tank hasn't ven absorbed any of it in 3 days.. so i will wait till it hits zero and start again..


anyhow.. my ph is stuck at 7.7 with all the crushed coral.. and in my old tank with same amount of CC it was 8.1.. i don't understand.. but hey.. i wonder if it takes time for the CC to start breaking down to buffer the water?

any suggestions? on buffering the PH?

Thanks!

[artw]

7.7 and 8.1 is close enough.  We are not splitting the atom here.

[Marx]

lol.. art..

so 7.7 is ok for the cichlids as long as its stable?

[328iGuy]

lol.. art..

so 7.7 is ok for the cichlids as long as its stable?

Yes it's fine, but over time I would raise it with some baking soda, and then you will get the nack of adding a certain amount of baking soda on each water change.  Works great for me and I have crushed coral in all my tanks and it buffers the pH very well.

[Marx]

I wonder if there are tannins stuck in the Old substrate that keep the ph down?

maybe if i add some Carbon it will eliminate the Tannins?

[artw]

what?
tannins in substrate?
7.7 will be ok for your fish, of course,  but following 328's advice is a good idea, it is always a good idea to have extra buffering capacity in you water.

[Marx]

my tannk had lots of driftwood in it previously.. and i removed wood and add Cruch Coral to existing substrate.. mixed it all together..  then added all rocks..

just wondering if the mermaid ppol filter sand absorbed any tannins? lol..

and is releasing it back into water?
possible?

baking soda.. Regular house hold stuff?

and does it last in water? or do you have to touch it up all the time or only dring water changes?

[SteveOOO]

Yes, household baking soda. add one teaspoon for every five gallons of water when doing your water changes. Most people will add one teaspoon of epson salts for every five gallons of water as well to harden the water.
If you do your 30% water change every week your PH should buffer out between 8.0 and 8.4, this works for me.