Fronts and PH

I'm getting Fronts this weekend, but I need to get my tank (75) set up with the PH and everything.

I don't understand how to get PH up and how to keep it up.

Our PH is naturally 7.2.

I am going to be keeping clown loaches-zebra loaches, and demon eartheaters in with them.

I was thinking about keeping the PH at 7.4 so that everyone can live together.

Also, I only have one other tank for time being which is a 55 gallon, and there are 2 large Jack dempseys in there.

HELP!

7.4 should be fine 75 is gonna be pretty small 125 or bigger if u plan to get a colony good luck

I am only getting 4 right now. They are all 5 inches, but one who is 7 inches.

My 1500 gallon koi tank will be their tank once our pond is finished.

What can I use to keep the PH at 7.4?

The substrate is going to be Chicken Grit which I believe might raise it a bit because it's oyster shells.

Raise the PH using shell coral or limestone. You will only need a small bit to raise it a few tenths.

Oh, it's granite... not oyster shells. oops. It's PH neutral, so it won't change anything. grr

Ok... the fronts I am getting are in 8.0 PH. How to I adjust them to the 7.4?

i would just use api ph down and api ph up to get it to what u want it to be i hope the 7 inch is a male so he can check the rest you want one male 3 females good luck make sure you use african mineral salt from api and they should do fine

Yes, it's 1 male, 3 females. the people I am getting them from bred them once, and decided it wasn't for them.

What is the API Mineral salt used for?

NEVER EVER USE PH UP OR DOWN. It is very very stressful on the fish. Use sea shell, coral or limestone to raise PH and drift wood to lower it. It does it slowly and naturally and will not harm or stress fish like chemicals will.

To adjust them add some shell coral or limestone to your tank to bring the PH up to 8 and then slowly remove the shell coral or limestone so that you PH goes down slowly, although 8 is good for fronts... I would just match the tank.

its just to recreate the natural enviorment for african cichlids comes with a scope they like the feeling when u poor it they like the minerals you should see them grow out quick in that tank 1500 nice

Fern wrote:

NEVER EVER USE PH UP OR DOWN. It is very very stressful on the fish. Use sea shell, coral or limestone to raise PH and drift wood to lower it. It does it slowly and naturally and will not harm or stress fish like chemicals will.

well thats good to know fern because i use it my fish have ben fine the couple times i used it but i would go with ferns ideas much more experienced than me

Fern wrote:

To adjust them add some shell coral or limestone to your tank to bring the PH up to 8 and then slowly remove the shell coral or limestone so that you PH goes down slowly, although 8 is good for fronts... I would just match the tank.

Over how long of a time period should this happen?

I would give it a few weeks to a month. Fish can live fine in a degree higher or lower than their standard PH. As long as the adjustment is slow. Go ahead and get some coral shell or limestone and add it to the tank. We will cut a few corners since your getting them this weekend... though normally you would give yourself a week at the least to adjust the water.
If you do not have a liquid test kit get one today.
Add a small pinch of baking soda to the tank. wait 20 minutes and test your PH and see how much it raised it. Your PH goal is 7.6-7.8 that will split the difference between the fish. Slowly add baking soda till your PH is at the 7.6-7.8 range. Take as long as you can to make this change. Once you get your fronts float the bag and keep dumping bag water and adding tank water, take about an hour or 2 to do this. The let them go in the tank. They should do fine.

I was going to take all the current fish out and just let the fronts in there, and while I am lowering the ph in their tank, I will gradually raise the ph in the other tank, so then all the fish can be placed together.

The loaches and other can only supposedly have up to a 7.4 PH, so that's what I want to get it to eventually.

We were going to set the tank up last week, but my grandfather passed, and family drama broke out, and I just lost track of everything, and the woman already held them a week longer than she was going to for us.

Oh no fish in the tank? Ok just dump baking soda in till you get a PH of 8.
Clown loaches are fine with a PH of 8... not so sure about the other loach or the earth eater.
Make sure no one can fit into the largest fronts mouth before you mix them... I have heard of many fronts dieing because they tried to eat a loach.

Sorry to hear about your grandfather

I think it would be easier to just tank all the fish out and raise it to where it needs to be right away, and then gradually go the other tank, so they will all be ok.

I looked up clown loach, and they all say like 7.6. I have seen fronts and them together, don't know why they don't say they do ok in 8.0.

All of my clown loaches are small 1.5-2 inches, but I have a large 5 inch loach, and I was told that as long as there is a larger one, they will be ok... I would put them with the JD's, but they will more than likely eat them.

The zebras are the same as the clowns from what I have read about what they can tolerate.

The Earth Eater is a cichlid... but not African. Which is why I was thinking the 7.4 would be best for everyone.

Thanks for the thought of my grandfather.

The fronts will eat those clowns! Get a 30g tank off craigslist to house them till they get bigger. The 5" one should be ok, just give him places to hide where the fronts cant get him.
Fish that like a PH of 7 can be acclimated to a PH of 6 or 8, it just need to be done slowly, all fish can run a degree outside of their stated PH without issues. I agree with taking the low and high PH and splitting the difference
It is better to have a stable PH that is not optimum than one that is fluctuating due to chemical PH changers.

To raise the PH; coral, sea shell, lime stone, critter bones
To lower the PH; wood, peat moss (peat can get messy though)
Those are the safest ways to alter PH, they are the only PH changers I use in tanks with fish. For tank prep without fish, baking soda raises PH and black water extract lowers PH.


I'm not familiar with earth eater cichlids so I can't tell you if that will work out or not....

I have a 30 gallon now that they can go in. I actually have 3, and I have 3 10 gallons as well.

I have this root type thing (it's plastic) that the loaches hide in, and there is no way a front can get them in there. Maybe I will just go out and get some more large ones to keep the big one company, and keep the small ones in a different tank... I don't want anyone to get eaten.

We have decided to just go with the 8 PH. It's easier.

We will have a 30 gallon set up with the earth eaters and the loaches.

So now I will have 3 tanks running.

Sounds like a good plan!
I would go very light on the decor in the front tank, if they don't have territory's they tend to not fight. I would wait on giving them any caves till they go into that monster of a tank Also fronts are clumsy, they have a habit of running into things and poking their eye out, Just be sure to use smooth stuff in there. If your a plant person you can put a sword plant in with them and it will do well, I have one with mine and they haven't killed it yet

I think we are just going to get a nice center piece rock or driftwood.

What type of pleco would be put in there to keep algae down?

I have a floating parrots feather the covers the entire top of the tank.

I can't wait until they go in the huge tank. I will probably never see them, but I plan on getting a ton more from Florida that are wild caught breeders, and just watch and learn.

If they will be moving into the big tank within a year I would go with the common pleco... I think.... Someone may nee to chime in here... I'm not sure if they eat algae their whole life. You would want one that does and that gets over 7" or so.

Just be sure the ornament is smooth with no protruding parts that may take an eye.

What types of fronts are you getting?

I have a common pleco now. He's about 9 inches now. lol. He eats shrimp pellets since there is no more algae in my tank. lol.

I wish I could put him in there now because there is a TON of algae in the tank. But they can't handle under 72 degrees so I have heard. He would get HUGE in there.

the fronts I am getting I believe are the burundi fronts.

When I order my own later, I am going to spend the extra $100 and get the blue Zaire ones.

Here are the ones I am getting.

If you want to keep and sell the offspring you should get more of the same......

I could partition the tank in half, and have burundis on one side, and zaires on the other.

Will fronts only mate with their own type?