Does crushed coral buffer ph to 8?

aaronc7

New member
Hello everyone, I am building my second fish tank (160-gallon mbuna tank}. Filtration is underway, selecting substrate, decor, and background right now. My question is does crushed coral buffer ph to 8? For example, if my tap water is 7 and I add 10 lb of crushed coral it goes up how fast and to what? vs. If my tap ph is 8 and I add 10 lb of crushed coral does my ph even go up or does it stay around 8? How high can crushed coral raise ph? like to 8.4 or 9? Please help...
 
My thinking is this. The buffering ability of crushed coral (which is an aragonite) works by resisting or neutralizing acid causing agents in the solution. In my thinking it is more the stabilizer of the pH than the creator of the pH.

Check out this good article as a primer on water chemistry: Beginner: Water Chemistry.

The effect of adding more aragonite to your water should be that the KH will increase and help stabilize your water throughout the nitrogen cycle and between water changes. The KH is your buffering capacity and the GH is whether or not your water is hard or soft.

Anyone else?
 
I prefer the aragonite substrate over the crushed coral. I think the coral is just too coarse. However, I have gone to using swimming pool sand for cost savings but I lose the buffering. I either buy a malawi buffer or in the past I've just made my own. If you have the money, I think that one of this buffering substrates is nice to have.


That is a small entry on this person's take of buffering substrates.
 
Ok, I'm trying to get my tap water from 7 to 8-8.2 for my tank. So the crushed coral will just keep the PH at what it is wether its 7 or 8 and increase its ressistance to change???
I'm on a RO system PH is 7, KH is 40, GH 125. Again trying to get PH to 8, in the past I just use API ph up. Any other natural or in tank options anyone else uses???
 
I will use crushed coral / aragonite in my sump. So, next question 212 gallons total water volume. How many lbs of crushed coral do I need?
 
I'm working on a reply sorry for the delay. There is much involved here. In ways though it is simple too. I do want to ask though why you are using RO water for this tank?
 
I have a well on my property, I don't have city water at his house. It will be nice for no chlorine chloramines fluoride etc. I think I can adjust my RO system, I'm not sure I wouldn't mind my ph at 7.8 instead that's what it was at my house that had city water. I use API ph down there and driftwood to keep ph around 7 in my other community tank.
 
I don't know if they have it in the states, but you can buy water filtration systems here that cleanse the water but don't take out the minerals.
Its pretty nice. Tastes better too, at least, to me it does.

That still leaves my pH just a smidge under 7 and KH 6 GH 7. I need to adjust my water too.

I have been wondering about OPs question for a long time too. I am in the same boat. I am working on a 175 gallon peacock and hap tank.

If I use argonite sand as the substrate, and get my water parameters up, can I use a python for water changes? Or do I need to buffer bucket by bucket?
 
You should be fine using your Python for water changes as long as you're not removing any substrate.
 
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