You need to be careful with oyster shell. It will compact down to a very hard substrate and can be a bit sharp to the touch when you try to uncake it. Clay Hess 787 Fuselage Systems Integration Manager and Team Leader 425-931-4322 ----- Original Message ----- From: macker <macker@gmail.com> To: Greater Seattle Aquarium Society member chat <gsas-member@thekrib.com> Sent: Sun Jul 27 09:48:21 2008 Subject: Re: [GSAS-Member] Bulk chemicals - help! You can also put oyster shell flakes in your filter if your looking to raise the ph (put them inside a panty-hose leg and tie it off). They sell the oyster flakes at feed-grain stores. From what ive heard you can also just put it directly in the tank under a rock. They sell bags at feed - grain stores as it is used for chicken-feed supplicant. Someone on craigslist just gave me a bag for free. On Sun, Jul 27, 2008 at 9:43 AM, Laurel Larsen <laurelthequeen@gmail.com>wrote: > As far as I know, epsom salts increase General Hardness (GH) which > does nothing but help the fish's osmoregulation, making their tank's > parameters closer to their "natural" habitat. Carbonates, like sodium > bicarbonate, aragonite, coral, etc. raise the Carbonate Harness (KH) > which translates to the water's buffering ability. There is a wide > range in the carbonate hardeners as to what pH they hold though. > Baking Soda (sod. bicarb) will only raise the pH to 8.2, no higher, > whereas aragonite begins breaking down and buffering as far up as 8.8 > I believe. Crushed coral, afaik, doesn't begin buffering water until > 7.6. So if you have a tank that you're trying to keep very hard, like > for Tanganyika fish, keeping some crushed aragonite in the filter > should help keep the pH very high, whereas for many central american > fish, they don't thrive in such high ph, but do require hard water, so > crushed coral or other additives are more beneficial to them. > > My understanding of water chemistry is at best elementary, I've only > done research to determine what's best for the fish I keep(Rift Lake > Cichlids), so I wouldn't take my word as gospel, I just know that > different buffers will do different things to one's water. > > Laurel > > On Jul 27, 2008, at 9:24 AM, Steev Ward wrote: > > > It's mostly because carbonates raise the pH and sulfates don't. So > > sulfates aren't > > really buffers. But people might have other reasons for avoiding > > sulfates. In marine > > tanks I think people avoid adding any sulfates. Otherwise Magnesium > > sulfate, epsom > > salts, is great stuff. I think it is good to add for LOTS of fish, > > not just cichlids. > > Especially livebearers, goldfish, koi, rainbowfish, "sharks", corys, > > and barbs. > > > > > > --- Clifford Miller <clifford@clevergeek.com> wrote: > > > >> > >> While the topic was up I thought I'd get some opinions on the > >> buffering > >> agents I'm using. Better to use Magnesium Carbonate than sulfate? > >> > >> I currently use a mix of epsom salts, baking soda and marine salt > >> in my > >> cichlid tanks. Nice and cheap, and easy to get at any drug store > >> if not > >> already on hand. The fish all seem to be doing well (I haven't lost > >> any > >> fish yet, including the 13 daffodils that I think were from Erik.) > >> > >> Thanks, > >> > >> Cliff > >> > >> > >>> Hmm, interesting... certainly a possibility for the CaCO3 (if not > >>> for the > >>> MgCO3). > >>> > >>> As an aside, I did consider going ultra-cheap with something like > >>> Dolomite > >>> from a garden center... but there I'm worried there might be TOO > >>> much bad > >>> stuff for the fish. Various web resources seemed to confirm this. > >>> > >>> - Erik > >>> > >>> On Sat, 26 Jul 2008, Connie Carlson wrote: > >>> > >>>> Have you tried any feed stores/livestock supply houses?? I do > >>>> not know > >>>> for sure but would guess that these are also used as mineral > >>>> supplements > >>>> for cattle, etc. > >>>> > >>>> It might be worth an internet search or phone call (DeYoungs in > >>>> Woodinville & Sumner Animal Grub in Sumner are ones I have dealt > >>>> with in > >>>> the past for such things, but there are many others here locally) > >>>> and > >>>> you could probably get them in manageable quantities if so (ie > >>>> one 50# > >>>> bag). > >>>> > >>>> Good luck! > >>>> Connie > >>>> ----- Original Message ----- > >>>> From: Erik Olson<mailto:erik@thekrib.com> > >>>> To: gsas-member@thekrib.com<mailto:gsas-member@thekrib.com> > >>>> Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 4:24 PM > >>>> Subject: [GSAS-Member] Bulk chemicals - help! > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> For the past umpteen years, Kathy and I have foregone the pricey > >>>> "Cichlid > >>>> Salts" and mixed our own formula for our Lake Tanganyika tanks. > >>>> This > >>>> formula consists of dumping in roughly equal parts Calcium > >>>> Carbonate > >>>> and > >>>> Magnesium Carbonate. It's cheap, it's relatively accurate for Lake > >>>> Tanganyika, and it's not so harsh on plants. > >>>> > >>>> Unfortunately, our umpteen year supply just ran out, and we're > >>>> kinda > >>>> stumped where to get more. We tried Welch-Allyn, which has > >>>> reasonably > >>>> decent prices on both, but they cancelled our order because we're > >>>> not > >>>> an > >>>> educational institution. Bah! How utterly annoying. > >>>> > >>>> Anyway, does anyone have any ideas where one might obtain > >>>> inexpensive > >>>> Mag > >>>> Carb and Calcite? Also, if others are interested, I might try to > >>>> coordinate a group buy. > >>>> > >>>> - Erik > >>>> > >>>> -- > >>>> Erik Olson > >>>> erik at thekrib dot com > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> GSAS-Member mailing list > >>>> GSAS-Member@thekrib.com<mailto:GSAS-Member@thekrib.com> > >>>> > >> > > http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member< > http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member > > > > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> GSAS-Member mailing list > >>>> GSAS-Member@thekrib.com > >>>> http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member > >>>> > >>> > >>> -- > >>> Erik Olson > >>> erik at thekrib dot com > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> GSAS-Member mailing list > >>> GSAS-Member@thekrib.com > >>> http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member > >>> > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> GSAS-Member mailing list > >> GSAS-Member@thekrib.com > >> http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member > >> > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > GSAS-Member mailing list > > GSAS-Member@thekrib.com > > http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member > > _______________________________________________ > GSAS-Member mailing list > GSAS-Member@thekrib.com > http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member > _______________________________________________ GSAS-Member mailing list GSAS-Member@thekrib.com http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member _______________________________________________ GSAS-Member mailing list GSAS-Member@thekrib.com http://lists.thekrib.com/mailman/listinfo/gsas-member