Help please
Have just converted a 48 * 24 * 18 to malawis from a discus tank , have laid 2" coral gravel and sand to base i have added 50 kg of ocean rock the tank has been filled through a H m filter the ph is 7.2 out of the filter but the ph is not rising when in the tank. The tank has only been filled 24hrs is it a matter of time or am i missing somthing.
All advice greatly received
Cheers
PS i live in cornwall the water is very soft

Hello,what are the hardness levels in your tapwater? In my experiance adding coral gravel has little effect on the hardness when fish are present,you will need to use a chemical buffer to raise the GH and KH in soft water,if these are at the proper levels the PH should rise.There are two ways to raise this,you can buy a Malawi salt mix,or you can make your own,have a look on www.malawicichlidhomepage.com,there is a salt mix on there.On mixing water I would buy a TDS meter and aim for about 350 to 400 ppm,this is a more accurate way of measuring total hardness levels than those drip tests and will work out cheaper in the long run,regards Ray.

hi there , i use a marine buffer u need very little but it has an instant effect and it doesnt have much rebound ither

My PH in my Malawi setups 7.5 and they all thrive on it. I dont use chemicals. To up the PH I use ocean rock and coral sand.Bethan