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Hi everyone

I'm a new member. I live in Miami USA.

I have 55 gallons tank, and
I want to breed Rainbow cichlids.

Any breeder can explain to me all these questions:

Can I put normal white gravel , or I have to put crused coral for up the PH.
I saw that the PH is 7 it's correct or which is the PH level ?

For example for breeding , I have 6 unsexed Rainbow
can I leave all together in 55 gallons,
When the females laid eggs I have to take out the males
or can they be all together with the fry. ?

thank you so much, sorry.

-Jorge

Hi,
You have three options for substrate, actually four if you consider regular aquairum gravel.

Regular aquarium is simply crushed quartz (SiO2). It is inhert and will not affect the water in any way.
You would have to chemically change the water with additives to maintain the pH, GH, and KH to make the water suitable for the fish.

That leaves Crushed Coral, Crushed dolomite, or Crushed limestone.
While all three are "Carbonates" only the last two, dolomite and limestone, will contain other minerals that the fish will need for a long life.

Crushed Coral is "pure" Calcium Carbonate, and if you choose to use it, you would need to supplement the tank with something like African Rift salt. Anytime you add "salt" of any kind to a tank you begin to complicate things in that you need to maintain a certain ratio of water to the salt. With evaporation, the salt becomes concentrated, and you have to keep track what you are doing. If you are topping off the tank for evaporation then you add no salt if you are changing the water, then you have to add the salts in the correct ratio.

Crushed Dolomite is Calcium Magnesium carbonate
Crushed Limestone is Calcium Carbonate with impurties such as iron & iron oxides, dolomite, and clays.
Of the two, Crushed Limestone would probably be the least expensive, and is what I probably would use.

Frank

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