Ph and hardness?

[BlaseMrNiceguy]

I Have heard that crushed coral will help balance my ph in my cichlid tank that I am about to undertake, is this true and will this be a suitable substrate for cichlids? Also I have pretty hard water and have read that most cichlids need relatively soft or at least neutral water, so what would be the easiest way to rid my tank water of hardness? Any input will help thank you

 

[joel618]

first of all, what kind of cichlids? depending on what type they could be at opposite ends of the spectrum.

 

[BlaseMrNiceguy]

Gotcha I'm thinking african cichlids probably dwarfs I have a 55 gallon I really like the rams not the german blues but the regular I haven't set up the tank yet but I have the 55 gallon tank a 90 gallon trickle filter and a 200 w heater so far I just want the best possible environment for my fish to thrive.

 

[garfy]

Ram's aren't African and require a fairly neutral ph somewhere around 7 they are from south America and should be kept in a temp of about 24 degrees.

 

[garfy]

Ram's aren't African and require a fairly neutral ph somewhere around 7 they are from south America and should be kept in a temp of about 24 degrees.

Bolivian rams that is.

 

[joel618]

africans need hard, high ph water, rams need softer low ph water.

 

[Hholly]

If you're going to keep Africans, your hard water might be fine as it is. You can also add limestone rocks, etc. the crushed coral will definitely make it harder. What is your water pH?

 

[BlaseMrNiceguy]

Yeah I only brought up the rams as I was hoping to try to keep a pair of those in with the rest but looks like it won't be possible which is no big deal. I need to test my water when I get home like I said I don't have any water or anything in my tank yet I'm just getting my ducks in a row and am so happy to have this community to help.

 

[h2oskierc]

I have a pair of EBRs that I have had since November and my pH is 8.2. I think the quality of the stock you get is most important. The EBRs came from a local breeder.

Prior to that I had GBRs that lasted a week. They were not locally bred.