Does everyone use these products? I was told at my lfs that the fish are used to the lower ph,salt, and mineral levels. Im getting confused!!!! My fish seem to be doing well. I would appreciate any advice given.

I don't add anything to my tanks. They get it just like it comes out of the tap with the exception of dechlorinator.

I've never had any problems, but my water is pretty hard to begin with. It's just my opinion, but I would think that if your fish were raised in the water without any buffers and are doing fine, then you probably wouldn't need to add anything.

if your fish were born and bred locally then they are probably used to you local ph. For example one of the LFS in my area have Angel Fish that are bred in our local tap water that has a higher ph the Angels prefer, so buyers of those Angels do not have to use additives to lower their ph. I have used cichlid salt before and I just added it with water changes. i never could tell the difference when I did or didn't use it.

I'm with Yodahorn. When I had africans I used to add buffers being a noob and didn't see it really doing anything to my water or the fish so I stopped using it. It can get really expensive! After that the only thing I've added to my tanks were declorinator, epsom salt and some medications.

I dont' add anything but Prime water conditioner to my tanks.

However, I noticed that your LFS recommended you have a "lower ph,
salt, and mineral levels."

That would depend on what type of fish you purchased.

What kind of fish specifically are we talking about?

What is your current ph?

I use buffers and trace elements, so long as your water is within specs you are okay. The fish you have are more than likely captive bred and are more tolerant to your specific water conditions. In my experience adding things to your water trying to make it more specific helps more when trying to breed your fish, some fish will only breed in perfect conditions. If your fish are healthy and doing fine without the additives and you dont really plan on breeding them full scale then you should be fine without it.


J

PB my ph is 7.2 out of the tap. I was told to use salt/buffers because they improve function of the gills, and will make my fish healthy.They seem healthy to me, Ive had the tank about 2 months and have already had 2 zebras spit. So I think I have about 60 little ones. I just want my fish to be healthy and happy after all they didn't ask to be put in my tank!

If you have zebras, then your PH is a little lower than usual, but not
completely unacceptable.

It would be better at around 7.8 or higher, but they seem to have acclimated
to your current ph.

IMO, PH stability is more important than having the "correct" PH!

BTW, you don't need to buy those fancy buffers and additives anyway, just get
some baking soda and add it very slowly if you want to raise your PH.

Again, remember to monitor it using test kits while raising the PH.

Once you get to the desired PH level, then you can begin to figure out how much
you need to add to each water change.

But if it were me, I'd probably leave things alone and see how well your fish do!

There is another option, but its validity may be challenged amongst the brains here on the forum.

You can place crushed coral in your filter and it may raise your PH a little, but more importantly, it will keep your PH steady!

Good luck!

Here is a list of fish in the tank:
1 venustus
1 exasperatus
1 kennyi
1 elec blue
1 auratus
2 peacocks
6 adult zebras
I will have pictures soon. Have to enter the photo contest this month. Thanks so much for the info. i will get the ph up to that range over the next few days and see what happens.

I hate salts. I have a client who lives by them. I hate them. I think it is a waste of money!

hello @bluefront!

I saw your fish list..so, your fishes are from Malawi...
they like hard water.. you have to pay attention to the water parametres>pH, GH and KH.
Cichlids from the African Rift Lakes require very alkaline water and we talking about a pH around 8-8.5. The acid water is good for most sud american cichlids.

GH is General Hardness (magnesium and calcium carbonate). Some fish (Discus for example) require a very soft water (low GH values, 1-4), while ours africaans require a high GH, values over 12 is recommended.
The water from my town is hard but not hard enough....i use a special salt for african cichlids at every water change ..they seems to do very well...
so, if you could find a product similar with this one , it will be just fine...it s not very necessary to do that if your water chemistry is close to Malawi water

good luck Tres Bien!

crys

My fish came alive after adding the salt/ buffer. Ph is now 7.4 and I will continue to adjust slowly until hit around 7.8 -8.2 ph. thanks for all the input, I'll keep you all posted.