leinda

i was given a 55 gallon tank with used gravel and it had coral all in it and i know that coral is bad for fresh water tanks.i have a piece of drift wood that was in my tank and i took it out to start all over on my tank (my local pet store advise) some coral in my tank that had pieces broken off and they said to start over with new gravel. So i did and it has beem 4 months now and my pH is to high and i cant get it to lower it is off the charts. i will be adding some peat moss and this large piece of drift wood to start. i cant add fish to start the cycling until i get control of my ph. any ideas on how to clean the wood so i can add it back in? thanks

aquarist48

Hello Leinda and Welcome to Fish Lore! Here are two links you may find helpful concerning driftwood:
Driftwood - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Driftwood Do's & Don'ts
Make sure the peat moss you add is "ORGANIC". It should state that on the packaging.

As for cycling it's recommended to do a fishless cycle and here is some information on it as well:
Four Methods of Fish Less Cycling

Hope you enjoy the site!
Ken

leinda

thank you, i will give it a try

Tony G.

Welcome to Fishlore!
also, this might sound funny, but do not place driftwood in the microwave to sterilyze. I did it and it caught on fire, so please dont use it! ive heard of people using ovens though

leinda

Thank you Tony. I will not use the micro wave.

aquarist48

LOL Tony...I remember that episode!
Ken

leinda

Hey guys have you ever used a r/o system. The small town in Ga. where i live @ the pet stores has never heard of it. I know it is my tap water that is high on ph and chlorine and i thought maybe i can buy the reverse osmosise ( i may have mis spelled that ) system and solve my problem on the water. i can buy the system for about 200.00 is that a good deal?

eiginh

Depends what brand it is and how many GPD. Here's one I found online http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=12093

You can find many under 200 bucks online, research on google or w/e search engine you use, I'm sure you'll find better ones. I think you can find some too on craigslist.

You almost got it right reverse osmosis*

As with the driftwood, you can boil it and that'll help sterilize but don't boil it too much b/c it releases the tannins. Boil it for about an hour or so and let it cool. Then you can drop inside your tank to help lower your ph.

Whoa Tony!!! Did any of your family get mad or did they run into the kitchen and asked whose barbecuing lol jk!

jdhef

Welocme to FishLore. Exactly how high is your ph? Generally most fish will adapt to a ph of anywhere between 6.0 and 8.0. And some fish actually prefer a ph over 8.0 such as many of the African Cichlids. Many of the species of Rainbow Fish prefer a ph of around 8.0 or so.

leinda

Hey anyone with pictures of there tanks for african cichlids with multi levels of rock and drift wood I am trying to get some ideas for my tank. There was pet store in florida that had the best set up for african cichlids I have ever seen, but for the life of me I can't remember the name so I could see if they would send me some pics. any ideas would be great I have never tried cichlids before and I know they are very aggresive. I would also like to know if I have every thing I would need for my tank. It is 55 gallons with a wet/dry filter, with a sump pump that pumps 600 gpm, hanging filter(whisper) on the back for a 55 gallon tank and I was going to use this filter for the peat moss and a sponge filter. (did I miss anything else)
What size heater would I need for this tank.

Thanks to every one that is helping me out.........

peacemaker92

WELCOME TO FISHLORE!

Great advice above! Hope you enjoy your stay

Best of luck & hope you get everything solved!

jdhef

Peat moss will lower your ph, but I believe African Cichlids prefer a higher ph, like around 8.0 or so. So adding peat moss might be a bad idea unless your ph is 8.5 or something.

leinda

Thank you all. It's nice to know there are people out there who are willing to help the under dog (me).