acidic levels

[hornet]

i use de chlorinated tap water, tank water is too acidic, i find tap water to be perfect

 

[Cosmic]

You can get basic pH test kits (including pHup/down) for around $20.

Test kits for your water are vital accessories, it is best to save your money and buy them first rather than splurging on tank decorations and other items that can wait.

Hope you get it sorted.

 

[amazonian]

I did a quick search for you and found the following parameters for Brisbane drinking water:
100 mg/litre calcium carbonate
5.6° (degrees German)
7° (degrees Clark)
one millimole/litre

 

[Scleropages]

I already dished up to 700 bucks setting this all up and i got no more money for a PH kit. I checked two places and both were 100 dollars.

I managed to find some shell grit in my garage that i give to my cockatiels, would this be decent to use and how long would it take to break down

pH test kits start from $8.90 ( I should know,I sell them).

 

[amazonian]

I would use shellgrit or crushed coral as a substrate to help buffer the water, but mainly to help stabilise it once the right parameters are achieved. I would also add to any top up water when doing waterchanges at a rate of 1 teaspoon of each to 50litres of water:

Bicarb for the KH and PH
Epson salts & non iodised salt for the GH

Doing this you may have to have a water aging drum to store water before doing a waterchange. But atleast you know you will be giving the right levels of PH, KH & GH. And buy yourself some test kits. Atleast PH and GH tests, a $5 kit will be fine as once you have tested a few times and become accustomed to your waterchanging regime you should have the right parameters down pack.

 

[HairyBob]

When i put the shell grit in how long does it take to work as a buffer, is it supposed to dissolve quick or any signs like that

 

[scorps]

ok send me 50 bucks and ill send you a ph kit hahah jokes hey are like 5 bucks mayby you shouldnt of rushed off and bought the turtles before you had a tank and if you cant aford a ph kit how can you afford o feed them?
not going off a you bu its anoying how inexperienced rep keepers go off and spend all their money and think that once he rep is bought all thier costs are gone

 

[HairyBob]

hmm i got everything including food and my neighbour is gonna give me their ph kit. I didnt really expect all my costs would be gone...just it is a bit inconvinient when shops tell you the price for a 5 dollar thing is $100

 

[shlanger]

Years ago some other folk and I kept and in some cases bred native fish, Murray Cod, Trout Cod, Golden and Silver Perch. We simply kept fish in bare glass aquaria with gravel filters in 4lt icecream containers. Gravel is cheap, can be rinsed clean and reused. In with the gravel we mixed about 1/2 cup co**** shell grit as pH buffer. Each time the filtre container was lifted out to rinse clean, I would check to see if there was adequate shell grit left. If not more was added. I never bothered much with Ph testing as the shell grit did its job! I did a 1/4-1/3 water change roughly once a week in summer, once a month in winter. Water quality is far more critical for fish than turtles!

 

[Southside Morelia]

One of the only reasons why I am answering this thread, is because your names Hairy Bob...that's funny!! I'll try and help as well.
I don't want to regurgitate what some have already said but, they are correct most part in their advice, BUT if you want to cycle the tank, you need to give it time to work and for the parameters to become stable. You will more than likely have to tweak it anyways after that.
Second option is, to spend some money (which you say you don't have) and go to a reputable Aquarium and purchase a PH Kit essential, which has a PH up & Down usually supplies with it, they are not $100, that's a crock, for cycling, get some microbial innoculem which will almost instantly cycle your filter.
I hope this helps, but a lesson learnt here, prepare Hairy man, make sure everything is ready to go before you get your animals.
Good luck Hairy Bob......love the Username!
Cheers
scott.

 

[Jen]

Treat the love of your life to an oyster dinner, crush the shells and nip, tuck, bobs your auntie. Or, just get some ph up from a pet shop, it usually comes in a kit with a little bottle of tester, an empty water testing botltle, ph up and ph down. one is in a yellow bottle, the other blue. its about $8. i've used bicarb soda before and had to change out the entire tank, as everything just went all bubbly and gross

 

[Southside Morelia]

Treat the love of your life to an oyster dinner, crush the shells and nip, tuck, bobs your auntie.

LMAO, nice comment/solution from our female herp members...Soo, when the PH is right do you get lucky?...come on Oysters and everything, you know the saying! :lol: