automated way too increase ph?????

[bgallodoro24]

Ok guys would like some help on this. As you know im in the process of building my fishroom. I am going to have water in water out method. I have well water with a ph of 6.7 What i am trying to accomplish is setting up something that will change the ph to around 8.5 for africans before it goes into tank. What i am trying to avoid is setting up 1 of my 75's to make this water and then pumping it to tanks for water changes.

Lets see how smart you guys are. Lol

[HD Blazingwolf]

build a reconstitution filter. something u can slow the flow down to a trickle and fill with a lot of baking soda
much like a kalkwasser reactor in a reef tank
have that inline with ur water in method. it'll take a lot of testing to get the flow right to get ur desired increase in ph without overdoing it.

[PlantedRich]

Maybe this is not the problem you feel it to be. Have you experience with Africans and feel the PH is giving you problems? Many of the written "rules" for Africans are not correct.
PH is an item which can vary quite a lot from "recommended" but not give any trouble if it is steady. It's a fairly hot debate about whether PH is the important factor many follow.

Maybe safer to try them and see how they do before sweating over getting the PH to the precribed level???? Africans are a tough lot who adapt well.

[bgallodoro24]

Originally Posted by PlantedRich

Maybe this is not the problem you feel it to be. Have you experience with Africans and feel the PH is giving you problems? Many of the written "rules" for Africans are not correct.
PH is an item which can vary quite a lot from "recommended" but not give any trouble if it is steady. It's a fairly hot debate about whether PH is the important factor many follow.

Maybe safer to try them and see how they do before sweating over getting the PH to the precribed level???? Africans are a tough lot who adapt well.

Well i have never actually dabbled in africans at all. My dad on the other hand bred them years ago and he had them in about 8.5 water. I was just assuming thats what they need to breed. Thats the whole goal im going for here anyways. If i was just putting them in a tank for show then it wouldnt be so important. Im not saying your wrong, im just saying i have no idea. Lol

[msawdey]

how about certain types of rocks?

I know specific rocks can make the water increase in pH.. Not sure if you are placing plants or hardscapes in all of the tanks thought

[Complexity]

I can tell you that the water in my area is naturally in the 8.0 pH range at the highest. People around here breed cichlids like weeds. So 8.5 pH is definitely not needed.

Have you tried to contact anyone who's kept cichlids in 6.7 pH water? I'd do that first. Maintaing a stable pH is far more important than hitting any specific number.

[jcgd]

Tank raised Africans are bullet proof these days. They breed like rabbits. I wouldn't recommend trying to adjust the water, but I would be adding crushed coral to the filter and do smaller, frequent water changes. Say 25-35%.

[Diana]

What is the GH and KH of the source water?

Aim to get these right first, then worry about the pH. pH is not as important as the mineral content of the water.

To alter your source water before it enters the tank is a very good idea. I can think of a couple of ways:
This is more of an interrupted continuous auto-change:
1) Auto fill a barrel that has the minerals in the form of coral sand, oystershell grit, limestone sand or similar material.
2) Circulate the water in here for X hours (you will have to test to find out how long) before using it for the tank. The more of those materials you run the water though the faster it will work.

You would have to test to be sure it works, but:
As part of your auto fill routing run the water through a barrel that has a LOT of those materials. No pause to circulate the water, just pass it though as slowly as you can.

Simple, but not so great:
Set up a fish feeder to dose the tank a couple of times a day with GH booster and baking soda right into the flow of the incoming water or the flow from the filter (whichever is going to dissolve these materials fastest)
Similarly, there are ways to auto dose liquids with just a timer and a very small pump. There are liquid GH and KH boosters (Kent makes them, and I am sure other companies do, too)

[CatB]

you could just use crushed coral as a substrate...? or yeah, add limestone or something into the tank.

[dj2606]

You could also just attach an alkaline filter like this one to increase the ph

[Ebay Link Removed]


Edit: Ebay link removed but search there for an alkaline ro/di filter. They increase PH of purified water

[PlantedRich]

African Cichlids have been my thing for quite a while now but it has often been in hard water areas. Are you going to be working with a specific type which is noted for being hard to breed? If not, I would still recommend going with the easy stable route to see if it works before going to a lot of trouble and still having it bounce. I bet there is no problem getting them to breed for you. There are some who are difficult to breed but those would not be the ones to start for me. Try a pair of convicts first?/ If they don't breed in the bag on the way home----there may be a problem!!!

[bgallodoro24]

Originally Posted by PlantedRich

African Cichlids have been my thing for quite a while now but it has often been in hard water areas. Are you going to be working with a specific type which is noted for being hard to breed? If not, I would still recommend going with the easy stable route to see if it works before going to a lot of trouble and still having it bounce. I bet there is no problem getting them to breed for you. There are some who are difficult to breed but those would not be the ones to start for me. Try a pair of convicts first?/ If they don't breed in the bag on the way home----there may be a problem!!!

Lol...I plan on breeding mostly peacocks and some others. Would something like this work. http://www.freshwatersystems.com/p-6...ilter-kit.aspx

[bgallodoro24]

Heres another one with more specs... http://www.pure-pro.com/purepro_alkaline_filter.htm

[Complexity]

Originally Posted by bgallodoro24

Lol...I plan on breeding mostly peacocks and some others.

Breeding peacocks? Oh, heck, that's really easy.

Take one male peacock.
Mix with at least one female peacock (preferably of the same species as they will crossbreed).
Add water.

That's really all there is to it.

I think you should start off with your native water, maybe add the crushed coral as others have suggested, and let them go at it. Do not mix species as peacocks breed so readily, they don't care if they're breeding with one of their own kind or not, and hybrids are worthless.

What I'd suggest you spend your time and money on are on the multiple tanks you'll need to keep the species separate and for grow out tanks.

[dj2606]

Originally Posted by bgallodoro24

Heres another one with more specs... http://www.pure-pro.com/purepro_alkaline_filter.htm

thats it.

this would be the easiest way to increaseph without having to mix a solution. However you will still need to reconstitute the ro for gh. and make sure before you check ph of ro after you reconstitute (cannot measure ph of ro it's too pure until you put minerals in it).