Tips for seachem lake salt

[AquaticAl]

I ordered a thing of seachem Malawi lake salt after learning my tanks gh was 7. While waiting for it to arrive I also added 2 nylons full of crushed coral to my filters but imagine this didn't help the hardness all that much. Do any of you have any tips or precautions for using lake salt? Also given that my tanks gh is so low what positive differences do you think are foreseeable after my gh has raised? ( fish are mainly peacocks)

 

[Mogurako]

I ordered a thing of seachem Malawi lake salt after learning my tanks gh was 7. While waiting for it to arrive I also added 2 nylons full of crushed coral to my filters but imagine this didn't help the hardness all that much. Do any of you have any tips or precautions for using lake salt? Also given that my tanks gh is so low what positive differences do you think are foreseeable after my gh has raised? ( fish are mainly peacocks)

Unless you have wild caught fish i wouldn't even bother adding anything.
Most Africans in the trade are farm/ tank raised and have been bred and raised in a neutral ph so unless you have super soft tap water they will be fine. The most important thing is the ph, gh and kh is stable, adding to much stuff to alter the ph can cause ph swings which can stress a fish out.

 

[Jmedic25]

Unless you have wild caught fish i wouldn't even bother adding anything.
Most Africans in the trade are farm/ tank raised and have been bred and raised in a neutral ph so unless you have super soft tap water they will be fine. The most important thing is the ph, gh and kh is stable, adding to much stuff to alter the ph can cause ph swings which can stress a fish out.

This^^not to mention you can buffer water with stuff from the drug store...Just google homeade aquarium buffer

 

[Mogurako]

Crushed coral should buffer your water to 7.8-8.4, I have the top tray of my fx5 filled with coral and I maintain a ph of 8.4.

 

[Jmedic25]

Yep! I have my sump full of dead liverock and coral...8.2 even with 3 chunks of driftwood...

 

[AquaticAl]

My ph is great right however the gh is what is too low. I was told that the limestone and crushed coral would help ph but not do as much for hardness especially considering I do 50% pwc a week and my tap water is incredibly soft. I'm just confused at how much I need to put in and over how long of a period I should be adding the dose. I want to avoid to rapid of changes at all costs but am not sure if that is as much of a concern with this product. ( seachem lake salt)

 

[Mogurako]

My ph is great right however the gh is what is too low. I was told that the limestone and crushed coral would help ph but not do as much for hardness especially considering I do 50% pwc a week and my tap water is incredibly soft. I'm just confused at how much I need to put in and over how long of a period I should be adding the dose. I want to avoid to rapid of changes at all costs but am not sure if that is as much of a concern with this product. ( seachem lake salt)

Why do you feel that you need to raise your gh?

 

[AquaticAl]

My gh was 7 and I was told that was very low compared to the 10 + range that is recommended. It is my understanding that africans do best in hard water conditions and that in raising my gh to replicate their more natural environment it will increase their quality of life and help with the peacocks coloration and breeding habits. ( tank has been up for 4 months and there has been little visible spawning like behavior) I recognize many things can play a part in that but was told my low gh could certainly be a large factor.

 

[Mogurako]

Unless they are wild caught replicating conditions is not all that important.

 

[CraigMac]

Unless they are wild caught replicating conditions is not all that important.

Mogurako,
Just curious because I agree that it's not all that important, but I think I read that you do buffer your ph. So out of curiosity, do you see a difference in doing so and what is the benefit. I've been hesitant to do anything cause I want to avoid oh swings but wanted to understand why some do buffer and if they notice a difference?

Thanks

 

[Mogurako]

Mogurako,
Just curious because I agree that it's not all that important, but I think I read that you do buffer your ph. So out of curiosity, do you see a difference in doing so and what is the benefit. I've been hesitant to do anything cause I want to avoid oh swings but wanted to understand why some do buffer and if they notice a difference?

Thanks

To be honest I haven't seen that much of a difference since adding the coral. The nice thing about adding coral is its a very slow and natural release and you're not going to get a huge swing in ph.

The only reason I added coral is because my ph is super soft 5.8-6.0 out which is allot less then the ph of 7 at the store I got them from.

In answer to the OP if you are going to add salt then start with less than 1/4 of the amount you are suppose to use and slowly add more. The only time you want to add more is when you are doing a PWC not during top offs. Then amount you add back in needs to match the amount you are replacing not the total volume of the tank.

 

[CraigMac]

Thanks for the feedback