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Hi, I was wondering whether or not i could put limestone in my aquarium. I understand it will raise the Ph but it is for an African Cichlid tank anyways. So other than this will limestone have any affect on the healthiness of my fish?

You can but you will never be certain of the rate that it will dissolve... therefore, you will not know when to remove the rock, if it is a single piece. If you use limestone as your substrate, I would strongly discourage its use. The pieces would be too sharp and it may raise alkalinity substantially higher than you want with no easy way to remove the source.

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leetomlin14

Limestone will dissolve at diferent rates, it will depend on the water in the tank and it will certainly be uncontrollable.

Keith

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I have limestone in my tank and it dissolves extremely slowly that you cant really see it. You can slow it down by leaving it in a bucket for a few days then give it a good scrub and rinse it off.
PS I found putting the air stone nearby makes algae grow on it reducing the speed more and makes it look good.

Perhaps it is not limestone I have then...it was on the shore of a beach in a provincial park a few hours away from my house. The rocks are light grey in colour and are smoothed from the waves. Are they Ok to use? Im not sure if this helps but they were from lake ontario.

I dodont think it is limestone sice limestone woulf disolve tumbling around in salt water make sure to wash it well before goingin the tank to eliminate salt

Hi,
First - is it limestone.. Take a knife and scrape the
surface of the rock someplace to get a fresh surface.
Next drip a couple of drops of acid on the freshly
scrached surface. Battery acid, hydrochloric acid, or
vinegar (whatever you have handy). If the rock bubbles
or fizzes then then it is a carbonate and could be
limestone. Over time, it will as you mention changer the
tanks pH. But, as you said, that is what you want. Many
folks will use crushed coral, crushed dolomite, or even
crushed oyster shells to get the pH up where they want it.
Some limestone is not going to hurt anything and will help
maintain the elevated pH.. Just remember to do small
water changes not massive ones.

Frank



-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

I have some Limestone in my Brichardi tank without any problems.



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