Multifaciatus setup help please

[WillM]

Hi there,

Im setting up my first shell dweller tank and need a bit of help. I have aragonite as a substrate, a piece of Texas holy rock, crushed coral in my HOB and on top of the substrate and of course escargot shells. Currently my PH is sitting around 7.8-8 and I was wondering if this will be alright for the multis? I am not to keen on using manufactured buffers, because I'm not always around to make sure the parameters are in check, and i've heard from a lot of people that its better to have a stable PH then to "chase it".

Any help will be really appreciated,

Will

 

[FF_Member146894]

your current pH will be fine but the more important parameter for your rift lake cichlids is general hardness (or GH), they need very hard water
what is your general hardness, you can find this on your water provider's website usually

 

[WillM]

your current pH will be fine but the more important parameter for your rift lake cichlids is general hardness (or GH), they need very hard water
what is your general hardness, you can find this on your water provider's website usually

Out of the tap its about 3-4, from memory its 5-6 in my tank. I do know that they like a high GH but won't the breakdown of the crushed coral, aragonite and texas holy rock bring it up over time?

 

[Colin_T]

Hi Will and welcome to the forum

Aragonite, shells and crushed coral will raise the GH a bit but it does it slowly over time. Normally it won't raise it high enough for Rift Lake cichlids if you do regular water changes, because the new water lowers the GH.

My shell dweller tanks had beach sand on the bottom, sea shells, and limestone & sandstone rocks. I used Aquasonic Rift Lake conditioner to increase the GH to around 350ppm. Lake Tanganyika where the shell dwellers occur, has a GH between 350 & 450ppm, and a pH between 8.0 & 9.0. Shells, coral and limestone should raise the pH to around 8.5.

Most people that breed Rift Lake cichlids keep their fish in hard water to simulate the natural environment. Keeping the fish in soft water for longer periods of time can reduce their lifespan.

If you use a Rift Lake conditioner, you need to make the water and mineral salts up in a separate container at least 24 hours before using it. This allows the mineral salts enough time to dissolve completely before the water is used in the tank.

If you have soft water (and you do), do small water changes a couple of times a week using the Rift Lake conditioned water and it will slowly raise the GH, KH & pH over a course of a month or so and it will be less stressful to the fish. However, if the tank is newly set up and does not have an established biological filter, do not add Rift Lake conditioner until after the filter has finished cycling. The Rift Lake conditioner will raise the pH and any ammonia produced in water with a pH above 7.0, will harm the fish. The higher the pH, the more toxic the ammonia becomes. In this situation, you wait until the filter has cycled, and then start using the Rift Lake conditioner.

 

[WillM]

Hi Will and welcome to the forum

Aragonite, shells and crushed coral will raise the GH a bit but it does it slowly over time. Normally it won't raise it high enough for Rift Lake cichlids if you do regular water changes, because the new water lowers the GH.

My shell dweller tanks had beach sand on the bottom, sea shells, and limestone & sandstone rocks. I used Aquasonic Rift Lake conditioner to increase the GH to around 350ppm. Lake Tanganyika where the shell dwellers occur, has a GH between 350 & 450ppm, and a pH between 8.0 & 9.0. Shells, coral and limestone should raise the pH to around 8.5.

Most people that breed Rift Lake cichlids keep their fish in hard water to simulate the natural environment. Keeping the fish in soft water for longer periods of time can reduce their lifespan.

If you use a Rift Lake conditioner, you need to make the water and mineral salts up in a separate container at least 24 hours before using it. This allows the mineral salts enough time to dissolve completely before the water is used in the tank.

If you have soft water (and you do), do small water changes a couple of times a week using the Rift Lake conditioned water and it will slowly raise the GH, KH & pH over a course of a month or so and it will be less stressful to the fish. However, if the tank is newly set up and does not have an established biological filter, do not add Rift Lake conditioner until after the filter has finished cycling. The Rift Lake conditioner will raise the pH and any ammonia produced in water with a pH above 7.0, will harm the fish. The higher the pH, the more toxic the ammonia becomes. In this situation, you wait until the filter has cycled, and then start using the Rift Lake conditioner.

Hi Colin,

thank you heaps this really helped. just had a question about the rift lake conditioner, once I've reached my desired levels of PH,KH,GH how often should i use the conditioner?

Thanks,

Will

 

[Colin_T]

If you use a Rift Lake water conditioner, you need to use it every time you do a water change for as long as you have the fish. The conditioner will keep the pH, GH & KH at a stable level and prevent fluctuations in these.

The Rift Lake conditioner is cheaper if you buy it in bigger containers. I used to get a 10kg bucket but a smaller container 2-5kg might be better for you if you only have one small tank.

 

[WillM]

If you use a Rift Lake water conditioner, you need to use it every time you do a water change for as long as you have the fish. The conditioner will keep the pH, GH & KH at a stable level and prevent fluctuations in these.

The Rift Lake conditioner is cheaper if you buy it in bigger containers. I used to get a 10kg bucket but a smaller container 2-5kg might be better for you if you only have one small tank.

alright cool, thanks for the help. will order some asap.

 

[WillM]

alright cool, thanks for the help. will order some asap.

just looking at the dosing amounts i think i'll do 7litre water changes, the tanks only around 40L all together and i'd rather air on the side of caution.