water conditions

[mikstick]

my new tank has a8.5 ph the gh is right where i want it for new world cichlids.the kh is around 200 way to high.i would like my ph to be 7 will that put my kh to where it has to be?

[OinKY]

7.0 is neutral. Central American cichlids in general like it hard and slightly alkaline.200 kH carbonate hardness isn't too high,and aides in the stability of pH in the alkaline range.
Two simple ways to reduce kH would be to use lots of driftwood as a natural buffering agent and/or filter with a bit of peat in the filters...no chemical buffering needed or desired.
Seldom do you find a Central American species that would need neutral or acidic conditions as most species occur in such wide ranges that the average pH would be in the 7.2+ range with a minimum of 200 on gH/kH.Also the reason a lot of CA are taking hold in Southern Florida...natural water chemistry is perfectly centered on what they need. 7.2-7.6 with total hardness around 280.

Would ask though what your tap pH is ...and what type decor you are using.Could be an easier solution to problem.
What species are you wanting to work with?

[JohnL]

What fish are we talking about?

[mikstick]

7.0 is neutral. Central American cichlids in general like it hard and slightly alkaline.200 kH carbonate hardness isn't too high,and aides in the stability of pH in the alkaline range.
Two simple ways to reduce kH would be to use lots of driftwood as a natural buffering agent and/or filter with a bit of peat in the filters...no chemical buffering needed or desired.
Seldom do you find a Central American species that would need neutral or acidic conditions as most species occur in such wide ranges that the average pH would be in the 7.2+ range with a minimum of 200 on gH/kH.Also the reason a lot of CA are taking hold in Southern Florida...natural water chemistry is perfectly centered on what they need. 7.2-7.6 with total hardness around 280.

Would ask though what your tap pH is ...and what type decor you are using.Could be an easier solution to problem.
What species are you wanting to work with?

My tap water is 8.8 ph.My tank has live sand rocks and nice size driftwood from malasia.when set up it will have JD ,convict ,firemouth,pleco. The cichlids i mentioned call for kh around 9-20 range ph range 6.5 to 8 thats why i was thinking my kh was high.

[mikstick]

What fish are we talking about?

JD Convict firemouth

[JohnL]

Wow that's a pretty high ph coming out of the tap. If you reduce the ph in the tank to 7 then you have to somehow get the ph of your tap water down to that otherwise you would be creating a ph shock situation with each water change. You could use ro water to control it all. When you say live sand rocks are you talking the stuff that goes in a marine tank?

[Gerry]

If you have live sand or live rock ment for marine set ups these will raise your Ph and Kh and shouldn't be used in a fresh water set up

[mikstick]

Wow that's a pretty high ph coming out of the tap. If you reduce the ph in the tank to 7 then you have to somehow get the ph of your tap water down to that otherwise you would be creating a ph shock situation with each water change. You could use ro water to control it all. When you say live sand rocks are you talking the stuff that goes in a marine tank?

my tap water come from a well.only the sand is live.from a ro system what ph does it give you.

[mikstick]

Wow that's a pretty high ph coming out of the tap. If you reduce the ph in the tank to 7 then you have to somehow get the ph of your tap water down to that otherwise you would be creating a ph shock situation with each water change. You could use ro water to control it all. When you say live sand rocks are you talking the stuff that goes in a marine tank?

only sand is live.my tap come from well water .with a ro system what would my ph be.

[Gerry]

Is this live sand for a marine set up (only live sand I have ever heard of)?.

If so then it is not any use in a fresh water aquarium as it has living organisms that will die and cause havoc with your water quality and also will buffer your water Ph and Kh up.

[JohnL]

AS Gerry said Live sand for marine aquariums should not be used in a freshwater setup. Never used ro water but I know it can be used to control both ph and kh.

[mikstick]

Is this live sand for a marine set up (only live sand I have ever heard of)?.

If so then it is not any use in a fresh water aquarium as it has living organisms that will die and cause havoc with your water quality and also will buffer your water Ph and Kh up.

my mistake not live sand tahatian moon sand for freshwater

[mikstick]

AS Gerry said Live sand for marine aquariums should not be used in a freshwater setup. Never used ro water but I know it can be used to control both ph and kh.

my mistake not live sand

[Gerry]

good to hear

[JohnL]

Whew that's good news.