Lake Tanganyika Species • New multi aquarium

[fishybuisness]

Hello all, I have recently started a 10g aquarium I plan on getting multifasciatus or brevis. I got the normal variety of sand so added crushed coral in a bad behind my filter. I’m working on getting it to the correct parameters for now. How many shellies should I get and does should I display the rocks on the back. Thanks as I’m new to Tanganyikans! Oh I should add I’m working on finding escargot shells.

[fishybuisness]

I forgot to add an image,

[DJRansome]

Get six unsexed juveniles...in a 10G brevis would likely work better than multifasciatus. Maybe a dozen shells for brevis.

[sir_keith]

N. brevis or N. mutifasciatus should work equally well; your choice. You can get the escargot shells on Amazon. Have fun!

[fishybuisness]

Thanks for the replies do rocks on one side work or should it be plain sand? If I were to get the multies would I have to put rocks in between, to stop fighting?

[DJRansome]

A rock or two to please the fishkeeper if you like. Multies like to form a colony so lots of shells in a pile...not all that likely to fight. Brevis like to form pairs and share a shell so trios of shells in clusters with sand between.

[fishybuisness]

I think I will get more sand, are there any specific buffers or products I could use to keep the parameters good for the multis, what ph usually is the best for them. mine is 8.6, should I raise it more?

[DJRansome]

pH=8.6 is plenty high for shellies. Better not to adjust water parameters unless absolutely necessary. My tangs are fine with pH=7.8.

[fishybuisness]

My water is usually 7.4 without adjustment, do you think that would be okay for them?

[sir_keith]

My water is usually 7.4 without adjustment, do you think that would be okay for them?

Not if you want them to be at their unstressed best. The problem with near-neutral tap water is that it has very little buffering capacity, and any drop in the pH will make any Tanganyikan very unhappy. So if you are adding more gravel, by all means use Aragonite (a buffer that will help maintain a high pH), then gradually adjust the pH upwards using something like SeaChem Tanganyika buffer. I have been keeping Tanganyikans exclusively for ~20 years, and I maintain all my tanks at pH 8.8-9.0. Good luck!

[DJRansome]

sir_keith, I have not found aragonite substrate to increase pH or KH over a period of 10 years. Sand and aragonite...same result. I am starting with pH=7.8 and KH=7.

Have you had a different experience with aragonite?

[sir_keith]

sir_keith, I have not found aragonite substrate to increase pH or KH over a period of 10 years. Sand and aragonite...same result. I am starting with pH=7.8 and KH=7.

Have you had a different experience with aragonite?

We've discussed this topic at length in several threads, the most recent of which is here- https://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=452285&p=3134623#p3134623.

To summarize- Aragonite is not a means to increase the pH of an aqueous solution, it is a means to buffer ( i. e. stabilize) an aqueous solution at an alkaline pH. This is particularly important in a small aquarium, in which pH fluctuations can be dramatic (less water = less buffering capacity). More information about the underlying chemistry can be obtained by searching for 'acid-base equilibria.'

[DJRansome]

So if you want a pH higher than 7.4 first you increase it by using an additive like baking soda and then you buffer it with a substrate like aragonite or crushed coral in the filters?

[sir_keith]

So if you want a pH higher than 7.4 first you increase it by using an additive like baking soda and then you buffer it with a substrate like aragonite or crushed coral in the filters?

Exactly. In such a tank, the pH will be much more stable over time, as wastes etc. accumulate, than in a tank without the aragonite buffer. This is particularly true if you want to maintain a high pH. For my tanks, which are maintained at pH8.8-9.0, I use aragonite as the substrate, rather than in the filters, because then I don't have to change it for many years. It's also pretty (IMO), and just the right consistency for both sandsifters and shellies.

[fishybuisness]

I’m actually using crushed coral behind my sponge filter, my dad has exorbitant amounts of it from his old saltwater aquariums. I know argonite sand is better, but it seems to keep the ph stable. I’ll try to get some argonite sand if that would help.