Who Gives A Fish Forums

Just wanted to get your thoughts on this. Planning on using ocean rock in the tank, might add a bit of crushed coral flake but not too much. No intention of messing with buffers, but I'll add cichlid lake salt and trace elements if needed.

Seems like you're jumping the gun a bit. First off, get a handle on your pH. After that, you can start looking into your KH and GH levels. That's a good place to start.