Planning a mbuna aquarium setup

[kalevi]

Thanks again, now the wait begins for the new tank. Might head out today to collect some rocks, get a head start on the setup.

[rivora2]

Just had a quick test of my tap water out of curiosity - the pH is fine at 7.8, but the hardness is a different story. My Hagen kit says the GH is soft, only took 2 drops to change colour, which I think is around 40mg/L or 2.3. The KH is even worse at 1.1. Just noticed the test kit is out of date by nearly 2 years, so not sure how reliable the results are. Would an old test kit throw off the results that much? Guess I'll get a new one soon.

If the results are accurate, I'll need to add a buffer to harden the water. I thought higher pH levels usually meant harder water, but I guess not. What's the recommended way to increase water hardness?

[rivora2]

Just got my test results back and it's clear my tap water is pretty soft, GH is around 40mg/L and KH is 1.1, so I'm thinking I'll need to add some kind of buffer to get it up to a decent level. Was thinking maybe some crushed coral or limestone to raise the hardness, but I'm open to other suggestions.

[kalevi]

I'm not entirely sure if an outdated test kit would render the results invalid, but it's definitely a possibility. To be on the safe side, I'd recommend getting a new kit to confirm the readings. As for buffering your water, you've got a few options - lake malawi salts can do the trick, or you could try adding coflake sand or limestone to your filter, which should help increase the hardness of your water.

[Lunoxe]

I'm always wary about messing with my water parameters too much, it can get expensive and you could end up causing more harm than good. If I was in your shoes, I'd ask the breeder what they use and what the parameters are before making any changes. I mean, the fish might be tank-bred and used to local water conditions, so why fix what ain't broke? I'm probably not the best example, but I just use straight tap water with no added chemicals and my fish are thriving. I've even got wild-caught fish in there too. I use playsand and ocean rock, which seems to help a bit with buffering.