Re: Rift lake cichlids without lake salts -Reply

[Phoenix1@t-online.de (W. Teiser)]

Hi apisto people,

Tsuh Yang Chen wrote:
> On Mon, 26 Jan 1998 08:40:38 -0600 William Vannerson
> <William_Vannerson@ama-assn.org> writes:
>
> >>>... I've added oyster and clam shells (that I brought home from
> >restaurants after dining out).  the shells have increased pH and
> >hardness and added buffering capacity to those tanks.<<
> >
> >Interesting idea.  How do you process/prepare them for your tanks?
>
> actually, i don't do anything but wash them (to get the cooking oils or
> whatever out).  the shells basically "melt" very slowly, leaching out
> calcium and whatever else they are made of (sorry, i'm not a chemist...).
>  it's not necessary to grind or crush them.  they also make good caves
> and hiding places for catfish and apistos.
>
> i can't tell you how much the hardness increases but it does raise the pH
> (i've measured it, it went from very acid - 6.5 - to slightly alkaline). 
> i assume that it raises hardness too.
>
> tsuh yang chen, new york city
>

the effect of the shells in your filter is that chalk (shells) increases the 
hardness of the water. So you have a buffer for the pH. In soft water everything 
(food...) decreases the pH. With the buffer of calcium... in the tank the 
changing of pH takes more time. A better (because faster) effect you can reach 
if you put some pieces of chalk (regular chalk for writing at a table) into your 
filter. Try it and be surprised.

Good luck
Wilfred

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Wilfred Teiser - Germany
phoenix1@t-online.de
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