Will this do anything for my pH?

[George9]

lately, my ph has been crashing a lot. But it's not a huge deal because there is no ish yet. But I know that crushed coral or aragonite will buffer the water and keep the ph from fluctuating, but rather than buying a 20 lb bag of crushed coral, would these reef rocks work if I crushed them and put it in a mesh bag in my filter? My lfs sells them as reef rocks or reef rubble, it's like dry live rock I guess except not live. It looks just like this but it is not packaged:


View attachment 75295

I've been pm-ing Librarygirl, and she wasn't completely sure, i just wanted a second opinion.
Thanks

 

[jlk]

Im not sure either here. Obviously, regular cr coral will work for stabilizing or raising your ph. Its a carbonate base that slowly dissolves in the water. The product listed here is labeled as 'fossilized' coral rock. I am taking a guess that the fossilized version does not dissolve to any degree thus it would not work as a ph stabilizer/buffer. Can someone please clarify if I am incorrect?

 

[jetajockey]

I would think that either one would work, what makes crushed coral any different than this? Both are fossilized 'rock'. I could be wrong, but that's my take on it.

The crushed version would work better since it has more of a surface area.

 

[Cichlid Kid]

I have a similar question. Does sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) help raise ph. I dont have access to any seashells or buffering type substrate?

 

[blert]

One LFS in my area sells crushed coral by the pound. He has an open bag that he weighs out for you as you need it. See if a store in your area does this. If they don't you might hint that they could make more money by cracking a bag, which has probably sat unsold on the shelf for months, and sell it this way.

 

[gmanova]

By controlling alkalinity at the proper range 80 - 100ppm, the pH will usually stabilize in it's desired range. If pH is high, sodium bisulfate can reduce the pH. If the pH is low, but alkalinity is in the proper range, don't add baking soda. You can adjust the pH by adding soda ash (sodium carbonate) to raise the pH without significantly increasing alkalinity.

 

[didysis]

I use to keep a large piece of Coral in my tank, getting something like this from any pet store will help allot.

Something like this is what I use to keep in my tank.

 

[George9]

Thank you everyone! I understand the whole pH buffering thing a lot more now. Crushed coral is probably the better choice.

 

[severum mama]

That will work. If it's cheaper, it might be a better option IMO just because of cost.

We've got several tanks where we use dried out "ex" live rock from marine tanks, just to help buffer for our snails and harder water fish.