gianniz Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 well i was using sechem cichlid lake salt and i thought that was it. then i went to my lfs and they told me if i wanted the salt or the buffer! i think salt provides all the minerals etc that replicates tangs/malawi etc and buffer helps to keep the ph high thats about all. is this true? if so can i just use the lake salt and buy the cheaper baking soda stuff? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosco Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 Mark, You can use sodium bi-carb but it has a short buffering effect in the tank. What I do is actually make up a bit of mix half epsom salts and half seachem salts for the salts and half seachem malawi buffer and half bi-carb. Mainly because it it greatly reduces the overall cost of treating 26 tanks. 25kgs of epsom salts cost me $20 and 12 kg of bi-carb cost me $12. I am also considering adding a kH generator but I am not sure what amounts to use yet. Laurie (ChorryLan) uses it and reckons it is the goods. cheers rosco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azzah Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 they really should have things like this as a sticky as I'm sure it is asked alot or maybe a DIY section added to the forum. I know I posted about buffer and salt not long ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Make sure you use KH buffer. Low or zero KH in the water = pH crashes = dead fish. Sydney tap water has ZERO KH. Us with Africans MUST have a high KH, not only to match what they have in the wild but also to prevent pH crashes. I use Seachem salts and Aquasonic KH Generator on my tanks in the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolmo Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 A good range thats been in sydney for awhile now also is the aqua pics range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I am also considering adding a kH generator but I am not sure what amounts to use yet. Laurie (ChorryLan) uses it and reckons it is the goods. Is that just another name for a calcium reactor as used on reef tanks? ie: use CO2 to drop the pH in a chamber to disolve calcium carbonate with an electronic do-hickey controlling CO2 on/off valve while monitoring the level in the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ged Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 There is some great information in the FAQ section of ACE. Here is a link to the Water Chemistry section. http://www.aceforums.com.au/index.php?showforum=46 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CThompson Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 I am also considering adding a kH generator but I am not sure what amounts to use yet. Laurie (ChorryLan) uses it and reckons it is the goods. Is that just another name for a calcium reactor as used on reef tanks? ie: use CO2 to drop the pH in a chamber to disolve calcium carbonate with an electronic do-hickey controlling CO2 on/off valve while monitoring the level in the tank. No it is not. It is a white powder, much like bicarbonate, but more effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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