Member

Posts: 183
From:austin,tx, usa
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 01-07-2004 05:47 AM         

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I have had one african (rift lakes) die of malawi bloat. I have read up some more on it and was surprised to find that long term use of salts can cause this to flare up.
I was also surprised how parasitic the bloat seemed to be with the syptoms that manifested, so treated the tank with an antiparasite, which I found out later is what is recommended, mainly to prevent spreading.
Is this pretty accurate?
Also, I wondered what others use in their african tanks other than limestone.
Do you buy special cichlid salt, or use crushed calcium?
I figured I'd check here before my next trip to my local fish store, which may not be for awhile.
thanks for any help

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Posts: 806
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Registered: Jan 2003

posted 01-07-2004 07:29 AM         

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Hi dianenm, I'm not famaliar with malawi bloat, but it sounds like you have that taken care of. As far as the crushed calcium I'm guessing that it is actually crushed coral which has sharp edges. If they get any type parasite and make the normal move of rubbing against the gravel (crushed coral) they could get scraped up pretty bad. There is another type gravel called Dolomite that is used in saltwater and African tanks that has rounded edges. On first introduction of Dolomite the water will have a PH of about 8.4. After cycling and waste it balances out about 8.0 normally but sometimes as high as 8.2. Dolomite is completely safe for Africans. Hope this helps.

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Member

Posts: 183
From:austin,tx, usa
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 01-07-2004 09:37 AM         

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Dolomite! it's now on my list!
I use limestone holey rock and our water is naturally hard, but I'd like to replace using aquarium salt with something else that is better for the fish.
thanks, as always!

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