Thinking about trying African Cichlid

[supradupafast]

Hey,

So, about two years into FW Community fish keeping and all still running nice and healthy.
I have been looking into making a step to African Cichilds but my only concern or should I say Question is...
My Tap / Tank PH is flat at 7.0 and I've been reading about mixing PFS with Crushed Coral to bring up the PH a lil' ? What about PWC ? Won't it "Shock" the fish with the PH Drop? Pre-Mixing buckets with buffer before pouring into the tank is really not an option.
I'd just like some input on How other people keep Cichlids.

Thank you

 

[mattrox]

If you just do 30% pwcs it won't shock them too much. What about putting crushed coral in the filter?

 

[supradupafast]

But, how much can Crushed coral in a filter actually bring my PH in a 60gal Tank if I have neutral water from the Tap?

 

[mattrox]

It's not about achiveing the ideal pH, it is about providing a stable pH.....

During the nitrogen cycle NH3 - ammonia- is converted to NO3... this means for every NH3 converted there are 3 H+ ions released. This means acidity, if your water has a low buffering capacity(low KH), then the pH drops. If you have crushed coral this stops the pH drop and adds calcium ion to the water (increases hardness).... stable pH and hard water usually = happy african cichlids.