Holey Rock & Water Quality

[Bluefyre_Rob]

Hopefully in the not too distant future, I'm going to move my Chipimbis to a larger tank.  I'm thinking about using holey rock in the tank (and a lot of it).  I know it helps buffer the water, but how much does it help, and for how long?  Currently, I use a formula I found years ago to buffer my water.  My ph out of the faucet is 7.4.  I add 1-1/2 to 2 tsp of epsom salt, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp of Kent Tang. Buffer (all per 5 gallons).  The Kent and epsom gets me to 8.2, GH ranges 23-25.  The soda raises my alkalinity 15-17.  From what I've read, these ranges are supposedly average for Lake Tanganyika.  Some fish keepers have told me I'm over-killing this, others have told me their ph is much higher (scary high to me).

When and if I add the holey rock, what adjustments can I expect to make?  If I use the same recipe, I don't want extreme spikes in my levels.  The epsom salt raises GH.  Alex also told me in the past the epsom was good for the fish.  My fish rarely have health issues, so I am a believer in this, and don't plan to discontinue the epsom.

[Zulaab]

Re: Holey Rock & Water Quality

Holey Rock does not leach enough to make any difference unless you dont do water changes and then you are going to have a whole other problem.
Unless you put holey rock in Acidic water you are not going to see a noticeable difference at all.  You can ask Geoff_Tropheus who has had holey rock in his tanks for 10yrs now and he has confirmed that this is true.
Crushed Coral substrate will do a better job of buffering than holey rock is what everyone says.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Holey Rock & Water Quality

Both crushed coral and limestone will not change your water parameters much....they do help a great deal in buffering which is a good thing and what you want in a Tanganyikan tank. Like zulaab stated it will not change your water parameters much but the slightest at best.

I have about 200lbs of THR as well as approx. 120lbs of aragonite substrate and my pH goes from 7.8-8.0 at the tap to 8.2-8.4 a few days after a water change.