How much crushed coral should I use

1464 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Eden Marel, Oct 1, 2010

Eden Marel

Discussion Starter · Sep 28, 2010

Well my tap water comes out at 8.0pH, 5gH, 3kH, ~72-76 TDS (TDS according to water report)...

I was gonna make my 5.5g a Sulawesi tank for my cute little Malawa... but the water is 6.6pH, 5gH, and 3kH. Right now it has my unknown shrimp, a male RCS, and a couple guppies that I kept and some pest snails.

How did that pH happen... I can only think of two things. And I tested the tank water 3x to make sure I wasn't making mistake or hallucinating.

I got impatient and really wanted to try the Root Medic Complete+ Root Tabs so I stuck them in this tanks substrate since I had already gotten the Seachem stuff and already put it in my 10g couple weeks prior to over_stocked sending me an awesome sample of his Complete+. The tabs are gonna be perfect for my 10g though as soon as the seachem tabs are done and I move my Malawa!

Either that or the Nutrafin CO2 Canister thingy? It sucks though, so I couldn't imagine it doing that much of a pH drop! O_O

So I have some crushed coral in a small tub with tap water. And I have no clue what the pH in that tub, since the test came out reddish or magenta-ish, and there is none of that color in the API high range pH, so I'm assuming it made the pH higher than 8.8?

Tldr; how many spoonfuls of crushed coral to put in filter bag to bring pH back to 8.0-8.5pH?

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OverStocked

· #2 · Sep 28, 2010

I wouldn't suspect the complete+ to have lowered your ph much at all. What I suspect is that if you let your tap water sit in a cup over night, the ph will change...

The amount you put really doesn't matter. I would put a good amount that does not impede flow but still has a lot of area. THe change does not happen very quick.

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Eden Marel

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 29, 2010

Ohh I see, interesting. Anyways, I think the plants like your meds I see some nice growth on them!

Thanks for the sample!! I will stick with yours once the Seachem stuff is done!

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Diana

· #4 · Sep 29, 2010

Some tap water has almost no CO2 in it when it is in the tap, and when it is exposed to the air it starts absorbing it. Test a glass of water on the counter for 24-48 hours. No additives.

Other tap water does the opposite: It seems to have more CO2 in it, and the CO2 leaves the water once it is exposed to the air. These people will see rather low pH directly out of the tap, but the pH rises as the water sits.

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Eden Marel

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 1, 2010

Diana said:
Some tap water has almost no CO2 in it when it is in the tap, and when it is exposed to the air it starts absorbing it. Test a glass of water on the counter for 24-48 hours. No additives.

Other tap water does the opposite: It seems to have more CO2 in it, and the CO2 leaves the water once it is exposed to the air. These people will see rather low pH directly out of the tap, but the pH rises as the water sits.

I did as instructed, the pH did lower just a little bit from 8.0 to 7.8 in 24 hours.

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mordalphus

· #6 · Oct 1, 2010

That coupled with your co2 and ferts can drop it pretty good, along with any substrate and driftwood. They all lower your pH a little!

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Eden Marel

Discussion Starter · #7 · Oct 1, 2010

Ohh ok. Well my 10g is usually around 7.5, but it can go to around 7.0 when new CO2 is made. The 10g and 5.5g are practically the same, just the 5.5g only difference has lace rocks, Nutrafin CO2, and Rootmedic Complete+. Maybe a trumpet snail dug up a root tab or something, cuz my 10g has driftwoof and same substrate and a lot more CO2 and it hardly goes into the 6's unless fresh CO2.

If it is because of the root tabs, that is gonna be uberly awesome for my 10g!!!

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