[Sinister-Kisses]

I have a 33gal that I'm thinking of changing up, and of course due to it's size I'm limited with my cichlid options. I've got it in my head that I may want to turn it into a Tang tank - brichardi, comps, and leleupi come to mind, though not all together of course. I have kept Tangs in the past, but it has been many, many years. Thing is, my water is soft. I haven't tested in for kH or gH in years because it hasn't mattered for the bettas I've been breeding, so I've got a test kit on order to see exactly where it's at. Last time I tested the pH, it sat at about 6.5 without any modification on my part. So, I'm wondering if it's just going to be more of a pain than it's worth to try to buffer it for Tangs? I intend to throw some crushed coral in the filter, but know I'll need to do more. In the past, I've used products like Kent Cichlid Chemistry to get it up there with Africans, not sure if that stuff is even still around? What do you all use to get the hardness and pH levels you need for Tangs? Whatever I stock it with would be tank raised, I'm not planning to splurge on wild caught or even F1/F2 fish by any means, but I'm sure even tank raised Tangs probably want a higher pH and harder water than I currently have in my tanks lol.

 

[DJRansome]

There is a buffer recipe in the Cichlid-forum Library, but you can just use baking soda.

Get a KH test because that will tell you when you have enough KH to buffer the pH swings.

 

[sir_keith]

I've been keeping Rift Lake Cichlids for ~50 years, and Tanganyikans exclusively for 20+, both tank-raised and wild-caught. The most straightforward solution for you will be to- (1) provide long-term buffering capacity for your tank by using an abundant layer of Aragonite as the substrate (not just in the filter), and (2) adjust your water parameters using SeaChem Tanganyika Buffer and Cichlid Lake Salt to get your water into the correct pH and GH/KH ranges, respectively. Of course you will want to test your water periodically, do regular water changes, and provide abundant filtration.

Making soft, acidic water hard and alkaline is not that difficult; it's the reverse that is problematic. Tanganyikans are fun; enjoy them! :fish:

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

Perfect, thanks for that. I knew it could be done, I just wasn't sure the easiest way/what products to add to buffer since I've been away from needing that type of thing for so long.