how to keep up ph

[greatgman]

hi all

im gonna redo my tank with white sand (cant find any aragonite white sand
anywhere)
the closest i can come is yard right white playsand up here in pa at k mart
so when i get it
how do i keep my tank ph buffered since the sand will not fizz when i put vinegar on it?
thanks

 

[bigsky]

take a jar and put 15 ml of 5%acetic acid white vinigar in it add 1/2 tsp of pickleing lime swirl until powder is disolved mix in quart of water and slowly add it to your tank (pickeling lime ph=about12 and raises your calcium and magnesium)

you might get away with putting a quarter of a jar of pickeling lime carefully into your tank in a low flow area and letting it slowly dissolve .

in any case monitor your alkalinity keep it arount 11

 

[jackdp]

Worry about that bridge when it comes time to cross it. You're asking how to solve a problem that does't exist yet. The substrate in a SW tank does provide some measure of buffering capacity, but you may not have a pH problem just because you're not using aragonite sand. Wait until the tank is setup, cycled and has been established for a couple of months. Monitor the pH, alkalinity and calcium levels in the tank and then decide if you need to take corrective measures and which supplements will work best for your setup.
While using the pickling lime/acetic acid solution will buffer the tank and raise calcium and magnesium, depending on the size of your tank it could also raise your pH to deadly levels. Try to become very informed before adding any chemical supplements to a tank.

 

[greatgman]

picking lime is kalkwasser? right

 

[jackdp]

Pickling lime is the same is as the kalkwasser mixes you get at the LFS, its just found in grocery stores and usually costs much less.

 

[HoopsGuru]

I agree not immediately start adding kalk/pickling lime, it can have disastrous results if not used properly.

If you found white Yardright sand, I would be surprised if it is not aragonite sand. Yardright/Old Castle is the new name of the previous reef wonder Southdown. Does it mention if it is "from the Caribbean" on the bag?

 

[greatgman]

no
it does say it is ideal for planters sandboxes and terreriums
it does not fizz when distilled vinegar is poured on it

yard right select
white play sand
it does have a silicate warning on it

 

[HoopsGuru]

Before worrying about any of this, contact Yardright directly and see if you can't find a local dealer you missed:

http://www.yardright.com/sand.htm

If not, I still wouldn't worry, frequent water changes should keep the PH just fine.....people with bare bottomed tanks or silica sand don't have to go over and above any normal measures to keep a maintained PH.

 

[steve-s]

Do not use a kalk slurry unless you have a pH probe and can accurately monitor the pH as it's being dosed. Increases in pH should not exceed 0.2

More often than not pH issues will not be chemical in nature but environmental. Look for possible solutions in the way the tank is running before you start adding things. That should be a last resort, not a first step.

As far as the sand is concerned, the buffering capacity of substrates is very limited and short lived. It really isn't going to be an issue in the long run.

Cheers
Steve