Keep ph stable during water change

Hi, I have a 29 gallon mbuna tank got them from the store with a ph of around 7.6 from my understanding they perfer a higher ph like around 8.0 - 8.2
I got the Alkaline Buffer to raise the ph & acid buffer just in case I added to much.

The issue I have is that my tap water is 6.6 which is a huge difference from 8.2 I would like to know, how can I keep the ph high & stable during water changes.
I have a hard time to figure out how much buffer I need to add & I always get it wrong (lower).
If I should add ph before putting in new water it will spike like crazy until it fills up & vise versa.

Can anyone help!

 

You can buffer with crushed coral and then do several smaller water changes per week instead of one big one.

The approach I use, which is frowned on by some is explained here:

Rift Lake Buffer Recipe.

I've been doing it this way for 11 years and I still have the fish I originally stocked the tank with. It's also safer, cheaper and easier than pH up & down products.

Don't worry about the perfect pH. It's more important that the pH is consistent and doesn't fluctuate a lot. Of course the pH should be within the fishes range, but does not need to be dialed in exactly.

From the link above you can see that you need to think about more than pH when keeping Rift Lake cichlids. You also need to know the KH and GH and adjust them if needed as explained in the link.

You also should do this test on your tap water: Fill a bucket with tap water. Check the pH. Put an air stone in for aggitation (not essential) and let it set for 24 hours and then test again for pH. The pH of tap water often rises as it sits as it looses CO2. You may find that the pH is actually higher than you thought. If that is case, you will want to leave your water change water sitting out for a day before the water change.

If it does turn out that your tap water pH is higher than you thought it should make it easier for you to maintain the pH you want.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! Will check my tab water 24 hours later as you are suggesting.

 

The way I have done this exercise is with lime chips. I use lime chip as the base medium of the tank, and even changing my water with rainwater at 25% per week I have never had a problem maintaining pH or hardness.

 

When I kept them the rule of thumb was 2 pounds of crushed coral per 10 gallons. I think people are doing 1 pound per 10g now. I had a very stable and consistent pH 8.6 stable GH and KH through water changes or top offs with my tap water from the initial set up through a couple years when I stopped keeping them.

 

If you let your tap water sit out for 24 hours then test your PH, what does it read?

You might have a bit of CO2 in your water that will equalize out and your tap PH could be higher than you think.

 

If you let your tap water sit out for 24 hours then test your PH, what does it read?

You might have a bit of CO2 in your water that will equalize out and your tap PH could be higher than you think.

Sorry for the late response! I checked my tap water 48 hours later & the ph is the same. Pretty much consistent at 6.6
Crushed coral isn't really an option since I already have a natural sea rock substrate & I'm not ready to switch it all out yet.
However if I don't find a solution to keep the ph stable when doing bigger water changes I'll have to consider it.

 

You can put a bag of crushed coral in your filter if there is room.

I do 50% water changes weekly on my African tank. That goes against what I was tought. The fish have never had a problem with it as far as I can tell. By using the technique I linked to previously, my new water matches the tank water, so no pH swings.