Fahaka ph lvl

[defool89]

Simple question, what are acceptable ph levels for fahaka.. cichlids* spelling prolly wrong, but those fish need highr ph levels than most fw fish, some ppl use those white rocks to raise the ph levels and I think they look really good, is that ph lvl oky for a fahaka

[defool89]

P.s....my ph is at a 7

[bertie 83]

A ph of 7 is fine for a fahaka. Stable ph is far more important than fluctuating the ph trying to perfectly match their wild source.

[Pufferpunk]

Whatever your tap water is fine.

[defool89]

I was just wondering if those stones make the ph level rise to harmful lvls, they look cool but ain't worth certain death if that's so..I know cichlid ph lvls are too high and was wondering if their ph lvl was due to the stones or if the stones didn't cause too dramatic of an effect

[bertie 83]

I use white "ocean" rock from the Lfs around my way, it does not seem to affect ph much if at all. Will check my water level diary just to check.

[RTR]

Only some Cichlids want or need alkaline water. Many of them prefer soft, acid water for breeding. That family is qute large and inhabits soft, acid waters to hard alkaline waters in the Americas and Africa.

The stability of the pH and other parameters is more important than the exact readings in captivity. Fahakas inhabit multple major and secondary river systems in Africa. Those systems show a wide seasonal variation in water flow and parameters, so the Fahakas are quite adaptable to varrious water supplies.

HTH

[defool89]

Okay great, imma test my ph lvls right now, and slowly increase the amount of rock and test the water again. If fahakas are adaptable but need a stable enviornment then a slow gradual increase should be fine, platau for a while then add more stone.

[defool89]

My p.h is at a 6.8 so I have some working room, I added a 2lbs holy rock. Will test in 1 week again.

[RTR]

Stability is more important in tanks than in the wild. Higher pH gives you a bit more margin of safety. If you have the test kit for KH, tracking that will give you comparable data. The KH determines the pH, but KH is used up in bacterial nitrification. Slightly soluble rock, or substrate, is a decent management technique for high bioload fish such as fahakas.

[bertie 83]

I added like 20 kg in one shot to my fahaka tank, I would not worry too much. If it alters your ph it will do so quite slowly

[defool89]

Oh damn 20kg is quite a bit compared to my 2lbs....I used a converter to realize that lol god bless America...woo its gonna look realy good then if I add a bit more...so if my ph gradally increases and the water gets harder, does algae growthstunt abit too? Btw thanks for the input so far, I am educating my lfs too

[bertie 83]

No stunting on algae growth that I am aware of as I don't get that much. I am very anal on water changes too so that could explain the limited results I have experienced

[RTR]

There is some to several to many forms of algae which can grow in any given water condition. Mature tank algae is the result of too much light and nutrients. Control those and you control algae. That is unfortunately easier said than done of course.

Keeping nitrate minimized (~equal to high water quality) by water partials as bertie does is the best handling technique. When water changes become a habit, tank care gets about as simple as is possible. Learning how to feed is important also. A good bit of pollution is from excess or improper feeding. I'm still working on that one myself...

[defool89]

Algae is a current battle for me, I change my water every week too. I think itsbecause I have my lights on too many hours. I had a clown pleco in the tank but my fahaka ate him..lol that was an expensivemeal