How to Safely Raise Aquarium pH with Crushed Coral​ 

*Support our store by buying your crushed coral here: **geni.us/CrushedCoral*

Your friend looks like the Irish killer on Austin Powers. The one with the lucky charm bracelet

For anyone who is wanting crushed coral for their tank, I ordered some coral from aquarium co op 2 days ago. It was cheaper than Amazon, but I expected it to take several days. It came in today! I was pleasantly surprised since I'm on the opposite coast of the company :)

Your ideas on collection data has changed my whole way of thinking! Thank you. I totally agree 100% with everything. Keep on giving this quality data to us new comers. Welcome back Wolverine!

Best episode of real fish talk yet i love these episodes when i get learn something new.. The tank looks great in your studio though cant wait to see what you do with it. Either Turtles or fish would be pretty sweet

I am really happy you put this video out. I found a dead fish, green tiger barb, in my aquarium. I test my water and found my PH had gone down to 6.0 or below according to the API master test kit. I did a 25% water change and added some crushed coral to the filter to slowly bring the PH back up. I am going to wait 24 hours and re-test to see where I am at. THANK YOU.

I know there are some people that commented on some of your “for instances” but I am a new to the hobby. I need to have things explained on simple terms. I can never thank you enough for this info. I feel like some people forget not everyone was born with a brain that understands chemistry. I completely understand I have a VERY long way to go. This was explained where at least I have a direction to go in. I felt like I was chasing my tail. My ammonia is toooo high and I haven’t been able to get it down even with all the water changes. I used pH down one time and it is now in the trash. As far as the testing goes, I do use the master test kit and for the very fact that the hardness or alkalinity tests are there, I also use test strips. I needed the hardness .... 300🙋🏼‍♀️ here. Thank you for listening and thank you for this

Great video, as always! The metaphors never fail to teach and amuse! Filling my brain with good info for this forty pound bag of crushed coral at my feet. (Glad you went with Goldfish on the studio tank too.)

My tap water here in Sarasota Florida just changed over the past 6 months or so...used to be 7.2... now 6.2 ph... this is perfect for me right now...! Keep up your awesomeness...!

My No.1 favourite channel in youtube!

Found the video I was looking for. Thanks so much.

Great video!! Learned a lot about crushed coral!

Doing some research and this popped up, so watched it again. It is clear, you should bring Lamont back in a stream! #bringlamontback

‘ I’m not smarter than you’ *** Starts saying something really smart **

Goddam, why so many downvotes? This was one of the best shows ever!

I have zero interest in keeping turtles, but I think it would be cool to learn about how keeping them is like keeping fish and how keeping them is different and what you have to do.

Loved this video,i could listen to you guys all night.What do you think of keeping fancy goldfish in soft water?My ph is 7.3 but my kh and gh is 0.

Wow great topic! Thanks for just speaking on ph and not getting into gh or kh on this one as ph buffering is complicated enough to explain. i thought you explained it well. one thing you could touch on might be how co2 affects ph. i know a lot of people dont know about that. for the tank, maybe some native fish would be neat since its in a cold room. bass are very fun as are sunfish. something different and nice and big to be able to see. keep up the good work and thanks for all the great info!

Very very useful. thank you.

Thanks a lot these videos help!

Wow! Amazing video! Super informative. Really helpful as I'm going through a similar situation.

Yes Dovi.... ABSOLUTELY

Those analogies are brilliant haha thank you

Some great info on PH here.

Correction on the pH scale. A full pH unit is a ten-fold increase i.e. A pH of 8 is ten times more alkaline (Which is not the same thing as having ten times the alkalinity/KH. Confusing huh?) than a pH of 7. If 0.1 of a pH unit was a ten-fold increase, then ph 8 would be 10000000000 times more alkaline than pH 7.

You can also use eggshells as a crushed coral substitute with proper cleaning

Darn! Should have looked at this video before I added a teaspoon of baking soda to my 29 gallon goldfish tank. Guess I’ll do a water change and get some crushed coral. Thx for a great video!

I would say 'what you put in that tank depends on your water parameters' lol. Very informative video. Thanks.

A specific Question. I've just got a young Tetraodon Nigroviridis, as we know, he will get to a 1.020 Salinity. Do you recomend using inert rocks, or is it better to use dead corals,, beach sand for substrate, and roots to keep him ocupied by exploring the aquarium? The tap water I use is GH 9, PH 7.5, KH 7, . Would really like the looks of it with that, but it also has to be good for the addorable Gogu.

Ugh, I wish I'd found your channel BEFORE I'd bought all these things -_- LOL. Really useful stuff though. Thanks guys!!

Hey! So my tapwater comes out at 8.0 and then when i add it into my aquarium after a week it comes down to 6.1 so thats a huge fluctuation. Immediately after a water change its at 7.7~7.8. I have fluval stratum gracel and some dragon stone. 1 betta and 3 snails. Can you help me figure out whats going on? Im scared for my betta! Should also add i do 30% waterchange weekly

Great video topic on pH. i learn something new today. I really like the advice and tips you guys give. My vote for either a puffer fish or a Flowerhorn. Both of those fish have great personality.

Thanks for all your videos. I'm new to the hobby and don't even have a tank yet. Trying to do some research first. What do you think of UV-filters? A waste of money or the future must-have?

I know this is totally old, but I was wondering if it’s ok to have 15lbs of crushed Florida coral with 20lbs sand in a 60 gallon? I just got my first big tank and it’s currently sitting, ya know, circulating. Collecting good bacteria and whatnot... but I currently have 2 other community tanks and the ph is about 7.4 and all my fish are doing very well, including my angel fish! But will using that much crushed coral in my tank? Or... will it kill anything except cichlids?

I'm up here on Vancouver Island, trying to find out how to sort out my acid tap water and hear "The problem is, you don't have 5.0 pH coming out of your tap." Actually Corey, that is exactly my problem. I thought my tank was cycled, had my water tested at the local store. They said is was safe for livestock, and I proceeded to kill my first purchase of 6 trumpet snails. Then I tested the water for myself to discover the tank was at around 5 to 5.5 and the tap water was coming out at 5.0 I'm experimenting with adding some oyster shells I boiled and crushed up. Your 6.0 pH water is a much better starting point than I have. I wanted cherry shrimp dangit.

+Aquarium Co-Op I am so glad I came across this video Cory... I am one year into the hobby & my tanks are finally stable & established. I am concerned about ph though (our tap water is high) and I'm not sure what I should do about it, if anything. I have Bettas, Guppies, Rasboras & Cories. PH is around 8.0- 8.2. They have seemed to be adapted, but I worry about long term. I see there is not a clear cut answer haha....

my ph from my tap that sat for one day is 8.4 and my gh and kh doesn't read? Also my ph in my tank reads 7.2. what should i do?

PH is a measurement of a substance, including water that indicates its acidity or alkalinity. A PH of 7.0 is considered neutral. A lower PH say like 2 is acidic. This would be like vinegar or the electrolyte or acid in your car’s battery. A high PH say 10 is very alkaline, like drain cleaner or ammonia. Both far ends are very caustic and can dissolve tissue and corrode steel. Most tap water is around 7.8 and some well water is higher depending on mineral content. Aquarium water should never exceed 8.5 for marine fish or be lower than 6.8 for Goldfish. Hope that helps.

Ive been keeping crushed coral in my filter for a couple of months now and after listening the video I'm thinking it might be time to add some new CC.Can I keep some CC in a mesh bag and put in somewhere in the tank?

Good stuff

i love your information. love your videos. my problem is i get my water from a spring, i live in the mtns of nc. so its ph is low like around 6. ive added ph up to the water but it just goes right back down.

Going back in time by watching this video.

I know this is an old video, but this was a tough listen when both presenters are going back and forth but I’m trying to learn. Gonna look for an updated video I’m sure it’s been covered in a live or something

I have been keeping fish ever since I can remember and I have never used a test kit, test strip or a pH test. I want to buy your test strips just for fun but they don't sell it on Amazon in Canada. Yes, for breeding some fish and shrimp you might need special parameters but if the fish are happy in your tank most of them will breed.

So crushed coral is good for corydoras? Mine have died off and I need to get back to basics and want these back in my tank. I have a 110gal planted and have laxed on maintenance. I have this black substrate that looks like the crushed coral. Some of my plants have died off as well and will not grow. I want to work on getting the pH right before we get corys back in. Currently we have tetras with platties with a few loaches and siamese algae eaters.

I just moved to a new area and the ph, kh, gh is almost non existent on the test strips. Any suggestions to balance. Its a 10g planted tank with neons.

Will beneficial bacteria grow on crushed coral? I'm just wondering if I could replace the ceramic beads in my filter with CC.

I just did this as my small aquarium has alot of wood and the PH crashes to 6.0, even after water changes....did my daily water change and added a small bag of crushed coral. Need to buffer it up to at least neutral as Ive started with a couple of Nerite snails. Will feel better once I hit the safest PH for them. Also get the calcium to boot for their shells....

Can any body tell me why my gh test is saying 30 ppm but then my calcium test is saying 120 ppm? GH measures both calcium and magnesium so the GH test should say at least 120 ppm!!!! I don't think the api GH test works!!!!! Or is the calcium test measuring calcium carbonates? And is ther anything to do to keep the ph from dropping during c02 use?

I went from well water to city water and was clueless I had more water conditioning work to do overall. I wish I could go back to my 1970's iron-rich well water in northern Illinois. And add to that the aquarium stores in the area knew to sell crushed real rock. I'd theorize water issues were more forgiving back in the day. Then the epoxy-coated color craze took over gravel for hobbyists.

I added like a teaspoon of crushed coral to my filter in my 5 gallon to act as a buffer for water changes, so let the games begin... The tank and the PH changed in the matter of mins. It went from like 6.8-7 to like 7.6-7.8. This was really bad because i keep a guppy pair and a betta in the same tank. When the guppies get stressed out Betty will take advantage of that and start fin nipping and chasing them around until they are reacclimated it seems. The problem i have is my water out the tap can be as acidic at 6.4 to 6.6 usually that's why i wanted to add the buffer. the best way to solve this problem was live brine shrimp and some small water bugs from my pond for Betty to keep her distracted from the guppies long enough to leave them alone while the ph was increased. If you have a 5 gallon tank that runs around 6.8 to 7 regularly be very careful how much you add to the tank if you are putting it in the filter be sure to monitor the water quality/ph and fish behavior. If the fish start flying around the tank erratically after remove the stuff from the filter, do a water change and monitor the fish/ph. My crushed coral came from the Bahamas idk if it all acts the same but it caused a ph spike in my tank after putting a tiny amount in my filter. Remember that's also all in a 5 gallon tank. The less water you have the more careful you need to be about adding stuff to the tank is what im learning. Im only like 3 months in and still learning. But what i did, did work and so far so good. if you want to change the water ph in this way also make sure the fish are well fed before you do because this could stress them for a period of time and they wont eat while stressed.

So, my GH is 0, KH is 240 or higher and your PH is like 8-9 in my well water. I want to set up a plant tank for my wife, but I am worried that my water is going to be a real problem. Should I be worried?

how do you feel about alder pine cones and bogwood to lower ph? also, the health benefits alder cones bring to the table? I was going to buy online from you, but I saw you didn't sell either of them🤔

Need help!! i got 2, L56y chubby pleco and the PH is 6.6. Not sure if that is ok for them since they were from South America.

Ap;i phtest in the kit measures down to only 6.0. What can be used to measure lower levels?

Thank you. I just switch to test strips and after my water change today it was pH 6.4 kh 0mg/L 0 cl²mg/L 0 nitrite 25 nitrate and between 0-25 gh. I'm just trying to make sense of it all.

a small aquatic turtle tank would be awesome. something different from the norm

Maybe counter to popular belief, some chemistry understanding is very important as an aquarist. Once you take the time to understand pH, buffers and buffering capacity, you will be able to identify on your own if pH UP or DOWN powders or solutions, or even crushed corals are for you. You'd also be able to better decipher why your aquarium's pH may be rising or falling unexpectedly. So here is a VERY LONG comment where I'll give some insights but I suggest reading into how buffers work, titration curves and pH/pOH for fundamental concepts. First, an important yet simple definition. pH is mathematically calculated so that it is ONLY related to the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in the water. Why do we care about H+? Everyone knows that water is H2O. Its structure is H-O-H. I want you to think of water as a single hydrogen ion (H+) and a single hydroxyl ion (OH-). When H+ and OH- come together, they make HOH (or simply water). The recipe of water is one H+ and one OH-. Simple right? Now, when you have a cup of pure water, for scientific reasons, some of the water molecules (about 86 billion molecules per litre of water) spontaneously split into H+ and OH-. If that's the case, there should at all times be ~86 billion H+ in pure water. That's true. And there should ALSO be and equal number of OH- ions. That's also true. If you do the math and calculate pH, ~86 billions H+ ions is equal to exactly a pH of 7 (because ~86 billions H+ ions is equal to 10^-7 moles of H+ per litre if you're wondering why 7). Since at pH7 as we discussed also has an equal amount and therefore concentration of OH ions, each hydrogen ions has a OH- partner to make water. That is, at pH7. Once you drop in pH (increase H+ concentration), there is not enough OH- ions to partner up with each H+ ions. So what happens? There are excess free H+ ions to chemically do other things instead of make inert water. These "other things" is what makes the solution acidic. The opposite is true, if pH rises above 7, we don't have enough H+ to partner with all the OH- ions, so we have an excess of OH- that are free to do chemically other things. These "other things" is what makes the solution (or aquarium) basic, otherwise known as alkaline. Alkaline is a word we all likely have heard but they have nothing to do with metals like potassium in water. Yes, potassium is a type of alkali metal by name (or calcium which is an alkaline earth metal), but that's only because it is very good (chemically speaking) at promoting AN EXCESS OF OH- ions in water given the right conditions. That's where it gets its name. Since there is equal amounts of H+ and OH- at pH7, there are no acidic or alkaline properties in the water to pH7 is known as NEUTRAL. Okay so we know what pH, acidic and alkaline means. Now buffering. pH is VERY and I mean VEERRRYYY sensitive to H+ ions. If your aquarium has a too high of a pH for example, you can't just add H+ because the pH will DROP like concrete even with very little amount of H+. (You could kill your fish!) So how do we fine tune pH? (which as an aquarist or even saltwater reefer we want to be able to do). That's where buffers come in. You see, there are compounds (many of them) that are very inefficient at sponging up H+ ions (organic acids) or OH- ions (organic bases also known as conjugate bases). They slowly sponge these excess H+ ions or OH- so that they can't do their "other things" to make the aquarium acidic or alkaline. This is something we WANT to be inefficient because we would have to add LOTS of organic acids, for example to drop the pH a smidge. It gives the aquarist CONTROL of pH. Here is something that I can't explain easily in this comment but basically all organic acids or bases have a "desired" pH. They try to match some pH (which is based on their chemical structure --- just take my word for it). For example, one organic acid is dihydrogen phosphate (you probably have heard of phosphate which is a conjugate base that is related to dihydrogen phosphate). Anyway, dihydrogen phosphate as its name implies has "di" or two hydrogen ions PER phosphate. Honestly, chemistry is just nerdy LEGO. Moving on: dihydrogen phosphate, like water, can release these H+ to sponge up excess OH- ions to the extent of achieving a "desired pH" as I've mentioned. If too much H+ is released so that pH drops below its desired pH, the reverse happens: two hydrogen ions join with a phosphate to make dihydrogen phosphate. The desired pH is usually around 7.2. Since this organic acid is inefficient, if you add it to an aquarium with a pH above 7.2, it will slowly being it toward 7.2, and the closer you are to 7.2, the more able it is to keep it at 7.2. In other words, dihydrogen phosphate buffers its solution to a desired pH7.2. The chemical term for "desired pH" is pKa if you want to google it. Buffers are what makes a solution (or tank of water) RESISTANT to shifts away from its desired pH (or pKa). I hope you notice how simple yet complex this is. For example, it releases phosphate ions to do this and if you know anything about algae, is excess phosphate is something you don't want .And understanding the principles is key. Crushed coral releases carbonates (water with high KH (hardness) is similar as it has lots of carbonates). Carbonates are organic bases that buffer water but not at pH7.2 but at HIGHER pH (about 8.5). This is why its good to add if your aquarium pH or source of water (e.g. city water) is low, carbonates can bring the pH up. And having an optimal concentration of carbonates can buffer your water closer to 8.5 (it can do 7.5) but not nearly as efficiently because its "far" from pH8.5. A rule of thumb is a buffer can resist pH changes well betweeing +/- 1pH unit of its pKa. So carbonates are really good at keeping pH between 7.5-9.5. Even though pH9.5 is not practical in this hobby, I hope you get the point. Here is the take home message. Buffers are what keep tanks resistant to pH changes. Different buffers "try' to keep water at a pH depending on the chemical nature of that buffer. Carbonates for example from crushed corals or hard (higher KH) tap water buffer better at pH8 than phosphate-containing acidic buffers which are better at holding pH closer to 6.5. The desired pH you have for your TANK determines which buffers to use. And this depends on availability, your fish, your water source during water changes. All those pH UP or DOWN solutions from API or Seachem follow this principle. Add phosphate or carbonate based buffers. (Phosphate and carbonates are the most popular choice because they buffer roughly at pH 6-8. This is not a coincidence because life on earth evolved with using phosphate and carbonates to buffer pH. For example, human blood has a pH around 7.2 and indeed our body uses carbonates and phosphate to buffer own blood. So these are safe for aquatic life too). A lot of city water tend to have slightly acidic water (we are talking like 6.8-6.9), so for many people some crushed coral make help with pH7 or especially 7.4-7.5 if that's what you're after. I hope this helps someone.

Hi guy's,our well water is 6.2 I use baking soda to bring it up to 7.6 but my Gh is 0 .Will I still need to add the baking soda as usual with water changes even if I put coral in ?How does that work?I'm keeping Orandas ,comets and Betta .I've lost Oranda goldfish in the past so I'm really trying to get this right.Thank y'all for these videos

Tape water is ph 6.8 in tank it's ph 6 or less would this because of bonsai tree being in tank. Tank also has rock,gravel killed all my ember tetras when api test says everything is right

This is good video, I am Philly and I have ph swing so I am going with coral I haven’t had it over 7 in a year. Or maybe change water again, I do 2_3 weeks anyway.

hey corey, my yellow tail accei just had fry a few weeks ago.

Seahorse's would be really cool. I like watching them.

Thanks for the vid! However I am new to this hobby and just getting started. I live in Florida and have VERY hard tap water, and according to the easy strip test kit I have VERY low alkalinity. I have no clue what direction to go in, any help would be greatly appreciated! I have a fluval flex 15gal with no livestock yet. just some java fern, crypt lutea, and dwarf sage which I bought from you and are doing great! Anyone have a idea what I should do to get my alkalinity under control so I can add some fish?

I had used crushed coral in my aquariums to help add minerals & keep my water stable for my mystery snails. However I started noticing a dead smell emanating from all my tanks. So I changed the substrate (as I had added it to the substrate & most of my tanks only had sponge filters). Now my snails shells are being dissolved. My tap ph is 7.8 but my aquariums are all around 6. I know this is a really old video but if someone could help me, I would appreciate it. Also I can't figure out what's lowering my ph in my aquariums. They all have gravel, live plants, filters, heaters, natural coconut huts, air stones or sponge filter (added oxygen). One aquarium even has aqueon shrimp & plant substrate instead of gravel & still has a 6.4 ph. I'm currently adding whole seashells which are being dissolved fairly rapidly. I'm trying to raise my aquarium ph to about 7.6. I do still have crushed coral but I don't want my tanks to stink as the smell accumulates in my apartment (2 - 5 gal tanks, 3 - 10 gal tanks, a 3.5 gal tank, & a 20 gal tank).

Hi, can I add the crush coral to aquaclear filter together with the other filter or would I have to put it by itself?

When you add crushed coral does the PH always go up to 8.2 or can you add it to a 6.5ph aquarium and get it to stop at 7.5 ph +\- ?

ph on lakes never stay level, it always have ph fluctuations.

tank looks great

Does anyone know that is it ok to add crushed coral in my angelfish tank? I was building an aquarium for my angelfish, and I already added some sand then I realized it’s crushed coral. But I don’t know is it safe to angelfish or not. So someone please help me with this

and i want to know if they are hybrids or full bloods.

Great information. Anyone have any thoughts on raising my alkalinity and lowering my ph. My tap water is around 8ph and very little alkalinity.

im a hairstylist . haircolor is extremly alkaline, in order to open the hairs cuticle layers so haircolor works. and haircare products are acidic to close the cuticles. fish are probably like cuticles. if its to high it opens their skin. if its to acidic it burns them or makes them suffocate:(

My 20 long planted tested 8.4 ph. My tap tests 7.6. I'm not sure why but my cardinals and ottos have all survived. I will try to wait 24 hrs with my clean water with an airstone and check it again next water change. The fish seem fine. Some plants have been tough to keep but my swords and crypts are doing great. I'm probably best to leave it alone cory? As to the PH? Thanks love your vids

So is it better to put it in ur filter or substrate

Yes wish I'd known the api test kit doesn't come with gh etc

Can i just use the dead coral i found in the beach, and crush it myself? Is it will do the same ?

I added the crushed coral and it was helpful but I am now getting a white precipitate on my heater. Is that the crushed coral or easy green. It is about day 9.

Also how is the water my moss ball came in way higher pH than my tap water?? Ig my local petsmart is under a different water tower idfk

This video helped me so much. I'm new to the hobby and my tank has been set up for 4 days. I used API test strips and my PH was 6.0. I haven't put fish in yet I'm to afraid too. I don't have real plants yet either. I guess I was wanting it to cycle first. I did put fish food in it one day 2 times. I guess I will go to pet smart and get some crushed coral and put on the bottom I have a 20 gallon. So I need to put 2 lbs in??? How much can't remember. After I do that I will check pH again. I do have City water but I have not tested it. Also what about ammonia the test strips don't test for that? How do I test for that? Thank for all your help.

I’m in England. Have a tds of 60 out my cold tap. After aging it’s 6.3/6.4. I’ve bred discus last year but this year I’m really struggling. I’ve been keeping the system at a PH of 6 roughly by altering my water changes to stabilise it. Trouble is once I get a spawn I have to stop water changing or I will trigger another spawn. Then, not even 48 hours later my PH is down to 5.2 or 5. I have added 500G of crushed coral to the sump. Had a spawn then stopped water changes. It still dropped down close to 5. Took longer to do so, I’m going to up the amount in the sumo and try again

Does anyone use crushed seashells as a buffer? Does it work simular as shells and coral are simular in terms of their calcium and carbonates.

So I have low alkalinity and very high ph(8.4) the weird part is that I don't buffer my water at all, my tap is about 8.4,changes on time of year all the way down to 8. So I currently don't have problems in my tank- all guppies and mollies are breeding and living life(I think,none of them climbed out of the tank and told me),but all the tests point to my tank being the aftermath of Chernobyl. Any ideas?

Puffers or sea horses though I do love the turtle idea

I know this is 3 years old, but I have to say this. I'm at 13:33. You have to use a buffer that works for your goal pH. pH, GH, and kH all impact one another. They're all trying to establish an equilibrium of their specific dissolved particles in the system. It's been a while since I covered this in a chemistry class, but they're all dynamic equilibriums that impact one another

My water is at 7.4 and ive been keeping my african cichlids in this pH. Now, i dont know if its okay to keep them at this pH or if i should intent to raise it.

Can you use crushed coral with aragonite?

ph of Oj is between 2.8 and 3!

weird question, is there a way of telling a tank is acidic just by smelling? also is hardness gauged by ph or does ph have effect on the hardness of water?

I'm way late to the show, but a ghost knife fish would look awesome in that tank.

How much coral should I put in a freshwater tank

So I have 3 degree gh. Soft water. But I have a high ph, around 8.5. In just worried adding crushed coral will cause a ph spike

master test kit, has GH KH tests so you can measure alkalinity and buffering

Also got that test kit. Later found out my water hardness is through the roof.

Where I'm moving to the ph is 6.8 but gh is 4. Here it is ph8.2 gh300. I plan on raising my ph there to 8 gh to 100 so I can keep my goldfish. I am worried about weekly water changes and keeping everything even. Of Course I will slow acclimate. Would my goldfish be better off if I re home them and get fish to live in my acidic waters there? Nervous about moving -one fish is 8yrs old fantail. Don't want to kill them. Thank you

Hello Cory my ph gh na kh are very high even in my tap water what can I do to reduce the hardness . It's pretty much impossible to have keep my plants alive :(

Im putting carib sea crushed coral in my 55 live bearer tank

A school of rainbows would be nice. They don't get big, but they are very active.

hi! can you talk about how to lower pH successfully? my water out of the tap is 8.2 and i can't breed shrimps with that T_T

Group of 5 Lima shovel nose