Aquarium rocks?

Question

I have a freshwater tank and was told seashells in the tank would raise my ph and needed to be removed. I took out the big shells but my rocks have a lot of tiny shells mixed in and I will have to just remove it all. I saw some really pretty rock call jerusalem stone. Does anyone know if that will work? Or is it ok that I just took out the large shells and use the rock I have?

Answer 1

From what you are saying, the rocks that you have are called shell hash. Believe it or not, this will raise your pH more than the large shells because the small shells in the has allow more nucleation sites for the calcium carbonate to dissolve.

The Jerusalem Stone is a name for stones mined in that area. It is primarily dolomitic limestone. In essence, you will be introducing the same rock that you already have, just in a different form.

If you like the rock you have, here are a couple things to do. First, remember that while there is a specific pH range that your fish will like, it is better to maintain constant parameters rather that having them jump all over the place to get to a pH you like.

Second, you can adjust your pH by adding neutralizers and doing frequent water changes (10-15% weekly, which you should be doing anyhow).

For the most part your fish will LIKELY be fine. The best possible thing to do would be to put some inert rock in there like a quartz based rock (as in granite, quartz, or sandstone), slate, or most of the ashflow rocks (ash flows from volcanoes). Try to avoid rocks with sharp edges as this will increase the chances of your fish getting cut and the possibility of them getting infections.

Answer 2

I'm not sure where you saw the Jerusalem stone you're asking about - my guess would be somewhere other than a pet store? I've never seen a stone called this for sale for aquaria, but I'd be very cautious in using it. Decorative stone that goes by that name (from the Middle East) is either limestone or dolomite - both are carbonates and will also alter your pH - and as such would be best left out of the aquarium for the fish you're keeping. For some cichlids needing a higher pH, it would probably be okay.

I'd also have to say that I wouldn't try to use additives to change the pH if you leave the small shells in - any adjustment you try and do will cause some fluctuation. Just taking the large shells out might be enough. Do you know what the pH of your tank is? As long as you do periodic partial water changes, the pH of your tap water and tank water don't vary by more than a point or so, you add any new water slowly, and the tank pH doesn't rise above 8, you should be okay to leave the small shells in - they'll dissolve over time and increase your hardness and buffering capacity. If you see the pH getting too high or there's more than a 1 point difference in the tank and tap pH, I'd try getting at least some of them out.

Answer 3

After letting my sea shells and coral sit in a bleach solution for an hour I soaked my shells for a few weeks in fresh water, changing the water in the morning and then before bed. I never saw a difference in the tank once I put them in, and the fish did not act differently.

Answer 4

if you want all of the shells in your tank you can have them, you will just have to buy some ph drop to balance out your tank and test it regularly to make sure it doesn't continue to raise.

Answer 5

What is the ph in your tank now? Most fish are tolorant of higher ph but that would depend on your fish. As for your Jerusalem stone, I have only seen it in salt water tanks.

DO NOT adjust the ph with drops. Once you start this it is daily maintenance.

Here is what and how PH works in your tank and why you need to leave it alone.
The property of water to resist changes in pH is known as buffering capacity. You can determine the capacity of your buffering system by measuring total hardness. A reading of 4-6 dH or higher is usually adequate to keep the buffering system in place and maintain a stable pH. A reading under 4 dH means there isn't enough of a buffering system and the pH is likely to drop. For higher pH levels, you will probably want to aim for 6-12 dH. Many hobbyists choose to measure only Carbonate Hardness (KH), which is a measure of the calcium carbonates in your water. This test is also effective in maintaining a proper buffer system. When testing for Carbonate Hardness, a reading of 75-100 mg/L is adequate for most aquariums, while a reading of 100-200 mg/L would be desired for higher pH levels. For the purpose of freshwater aquariums, measuring either total hardness or carbonate hardness is necessary, but measuring both independently would not be needed.

You need to know that anywhere in your aquarium where detritus (a fancy term for dirt) accumulates is a source of Phosphate production. As detritus accumulates in your gravel bed and on your filter pads, the Phosphate levels in your aquarium rise. Free Phosphate ions may bond with calcareous buffering material, precipitating calcium from your aquarium, and reducing your aquariums ability to keep pH stable. This is why it is so very important to clean your filter pads regularly and vacuum the aquarium gravel with each water change. In addition, your tap water contains buffering ions. Doing regular partial water changes will help to replenish the buffers which have been lost. This is important in all aquariums, because fish respiration and organic wastes alone will cause a gradual drop in the ability of your aquarium to buffer against pH swings.

Now the question becomes what to do if the fish you want to keep have very special pH requirements. If your fish prefer a pH level which is reasonably close to the pH your aquarium water is naturally buffered to, then I do not recommend you make any changes at all. Unless you are keeping an extremely specialized fish your fish will be fine. On the other hand, if your fish have pH requirements which are far from the values in your tank, then you have work to do.

Let us consider methods of raising the pH of your tap water. There are many additives on the market today which claim to raise your pH. Most of the liquid products on the market today are a 50/50 success at best when used alone only to find the ph will soon return to the normal level of 6. You also need to use a product to increase the buffering ability of your aquarium. To maintain a stable pH in the upper levels of the pH scale for fishkeeping, I would recommend using a buffering substrate such as crushed coral. You can add crushed coral to your existing aquarium. You can place larger amounts of shells or chrushed coral beneath the substraight in the tank. I personally place the crushed coral in a mesh bag and place the bag in my filter. You will want about 1 kg of crushed coral per 40 liters of water to buffer the water to hold a pH around 7.6. This method does not allow for the use of large quantities of crushed coral, but can be effective if you only need to make small adjustments to your aquariums buffering ability. This is why ocean items such as shells and ocean sand should not be used in a fresh water aquarium. It does raise the PH level.

Be assured that attempting to control pH is the most frustrating experience for a fish hobbyist. I would guess that 50% of the problems encountered in new aquariums are a result of the aquarist attempting to change the pH level. Few fish keepers actually need to adjust their pH. For the majority of aquarists your tap water pH will be adequate. The dangers of adjusting the pH incorrectly far outweigh any benefit you may receive by moving your pH a few points on the scale.

Remember, when it comes to adjusting your pH, less is more! Stability is most important. Routine maintenance is the key to keeping your pH stable and your fish healthy!

Also, do not use baking soda in your tank. Over doing the ph plus adding additional salt is not going to do your tank any good. It will also revert back to 6 when the carbon filters pull the Soda out.
Hope this helps