i have a 75 gallon tank that i am setting up as a W/A biotope tank with kribs, congo tetras, butterfly fishj, brown knife, leoperd cntempoma and some upside down cats. my q is how importent is ph? from tap my ph is 8.4. how do you softing water? filter through peat moss dos peat in the filter work? if i alter it how much tap water should remain 1/4 of the tanks volume. just wondering if you guys and gals have any secrets
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west african biotope aquarum q's
- Thread starter kribby69
- Start date
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- 68
- Location
- Lancaster, UK
hi and welcome.
I personally wouldnt ever try that combo of fish at a ph that high, most of those fish will struggle at a ph that high... best bet to change water values is to use an RO unit to prefilter the water and then premix it in a suitable containter (large water butt -150l size etc) and treat it with peat to get it down around 6.5. Try mixing in 10-20% tapwater to add some buffering capacity back in.
If you are altering PH a good investment is a PH meter, will give you far more accurate results than a conventional re-agent kit.
also whats a 75 gallon in terms of dimensions as i think the brown knife will end up either too big or end up making a meal of any of those smaller species...
have you though about rift lake or central american species that would be better suited to that kind of water chemistry....
cheers
Craig
I personally wouldnt ever try that combo of fish at a ph that high, most of those fish will struggle at a ph that high... best bet to change water values is to use an RO unit to prefilter the water and then premix it in a suitable containter (large water butt -150l size etc) and treat it with peat to get it down around 6.5. Try mixing in 10-20% tapwater to add some buffering capacity back in.
If you are altering PH a good investment is a PH meter, will give you far more accurate results than a conventional re-agent kit.
also whats a 75 gallon in terms of dimensions as i think the brown knife will end up either too big or end up making a meal of any of those smaller species...
have you though about rift lake or central american species that would be better suited to that kind of water chemistry....
cheers
Craig
- Messages
- 81
Your pH is quite high. Is this from your tap water; after tap water has sat out; or is this aged tank water? Also what are your KH and GH?
In general, especially on such a high ph and large tank, peat will not be enough to lower the pH by much. I'm guessing that along with a higher pH you also have a higher KH, this will actively resist the changes from the peat. The only sure-fire method is to use a RO (Reverse Osmosis) system.
What type of substrate is in this tank? Some substrates made for rift lake cichlids will buffer the water up higher. It is better to use a 100% inert substrate for the West African river fish.
With such a mixed community, I don't think your goal is strictly breeding. Therefore, you do not need to get the water significantly softer; yet closer to a mid range would be better.
In general, especially on such a high ph and large tank, peat will not be enough to lower the pH by much. I'm guessing that along with a higher pH you also have a higher KH, this will actively resist the changes from the peat. The only sure-fire method is to use a RO (Reverse Osmosis) system.
What type of substrate is in this tank? Some substrates made for rift lake cichlids will buffer the water up higher. It is better to use a 100% inert substrate for the West African river fish.
With such a mixed community, I don't think your goal is strictly breeding. Therefore, you do not need to get the water significantly softer; yet closer to a mid range would be better.
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- Stoughton, WI
Welcome! It is great to see that someone is looking at a complete West African community. I would have to agree that a pH of 8.4 is too high, unfortunately.
A pH of that magnitude usually means that the water also has a high TDS (total dissolved solids) and a high KH (pH buffers) keeping the pH up. No filtering through peat or adding of chemicals will correct the problem. You are going to have to physically remove the hardness. The least expensive way to do that, in the long run, is to invest in an RO unit.
My tap water has values of 250 ppm TDS, KH 10 and pH 7.8. I mix tap:RO in a 1:3 ratio and end up with water that is about 80 ppm TDS, 3 KH and pH 7.2. That is fine for keeping west Africans... I have MANY of them. For spawning I use more RO and keep the parameters at 40 ppm TDS, pH 7.0 and KH 1-2.
A pH of that magnitude usually means that the water also has a high TDS (total dissolved solids) and a high KH (pH buffers) keeping the pH up. No filtering through peat or adding of chemicals will correct the problem. You are going to have to physically remove the hardness. The least expensive way to do that, in the long run, is to invest in an RO unit.
My tap water has values of 250 ppm TDS, KH 10 and pH 7.8. I mix tap:RO in a 1:3 ratio and end up with water that is about 80 ppm TDS, 3 KH and pH 7.2. That is fine for keeping west Africans... I have MANY of them. For spawning I use more RO and keep the parameters at 40 ppm TDS, pH 7.0 and KH 1-2.
thanks for all the info,the tank houses three fish right now 1 krib, 1 centoma, 1 brown knife they only get 8in. demensions for the tank are48inx18inx18in. how will the ro affect my plants? i can bag the fish up and readjust them slowly right? also my hardness values are way up there 300. why dont i keep rift lake
well i dont realy like them. also i do have a bunch of c/a cichlids i have always wanted to try a tank for dwarfs. if this west african tank gos good i have a 60 gallon breeder dimensions are 36inx 18inx 21in that i would like to do a biotope of apistogerama, rams, corrie cats, and cardinal tetras. so any help along the way would be great
well i dont realy like them. also i do have a bunch of c/a cichlids i have always wanted to try a tank for dwarfs. if this west african tank gos good i have a 60 gallon breeder dimensions are 36inx 18inx 21in that i would like to do a biotope of apistogerama, rams, corrie cats, and cardinal tetras. so any help along the way would be great
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- 2,822
- Location
- Stoughton, WI
You do not need (nor want) 100% RO in the tank for westies (or anything really). The hardness you maintain is plenty for plants. In order to keep them from having problems (usually only crypts or tender Aponogetons) you can slowly lower the hardness over a period of time. 20% partial water changes once a week with new water that is the parameter you eventually want in the tank will drop the hardness slowly enough. It would take about two months to get the water down to the point you are aiming for.
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