Desperately need help with water perimeters*

[Serenity]

Im currently Setting up my first African cichlid (tanganyika) tank (317litre) my*Water out of the tap is PH 7.6 KH & GH 0

I am not able to afford one of the many extremely overpriced cichlid substrates that the lfs sell so I was told to use bicarb baking soda to raise my PH to around 8.2 I was advised to add around 8 table spoons worth so I did trusting what I was told by my trusted lfs bloke there is usually spot on :)

My PH now is currently 8.2 but KH & GH are off the charts I am using an API liquid test kit I added 30 drops during each of the tests and neither changed color so I stopped*I inverted after each drop and tested with 2 different API test kits just to make sure the results where correct

I was told bicarb would only raise my ph how do I lower my KH and GH to a desired level?

Tanks currently fishless so there is no need to worry about fish being effected :)

I have carbonate hardness power which I am told will Stabilize my PH I will just have to add a spoon full of bicarb and a few spoons of carbonate hardness every week after my water change is this also correct?

Anyhelp would be much appreciated I am just wanting to make things stable for my future tangs*

[hyp0r]

I'm not an expert but I've seen this response a million times. Is your tank fully cycled? If not, do not worry about your PH until your tank is fully cycled. Also I'm pretty sure that a PH of 7.6 is fine for cichlids. No need to mess with your PH.

[Lady Hobbs]

Why not simply get a bag or coral rock and add it to the tank? You don't have to change your substrate but you can add to it.

[Serenity]

7.6 is to low for cichlids mate tangs are much appear In the 8 range I'm told and we only have crushed coral here and it's $80 for 10kg so it would cost a fortune to get enough,

[dizzydezzy]

You could check out your local hardware store for crushed marble or marble off-cuts - it will get your water hardness up just like coral would, lots of chichlid owners around my area use the crushed marble as a cheaper alternative to the coral sand. Crushed limestone would work as well if you can't get the marble.

[hyp0r]

Hmm, maybe the article I read was written by someone who doesn't have a clue, but they say:

"Tanganyikan and Malawian cichlids will prosper and breed at pH values as low as 7.2 and hardness values to 3 DH."
-- Source: http://www.fishchannel.com/freshwater-aquariums/aquarium-care/correct-ph-for-african-cichlids.aspx

Which is why I said that I was pretty sure that a PH of 7.6 was fine.

I also found an article on this site that says:

"most Tanganyika species will tolerate a pH value between 7.5 and 9.0"
-- Source: http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/cichlid/tanganyika2.php

[isaactifist]

yep, recently my malawi tank was 36dGH and only had a pH of 7.6, yet all the fish looked beautiful and were happy as. If you cant afford a massive bag of buffering substrate, just buy a lil aragonite or crushed coral and put it in your filter.