# Texas Holey Rock and pH



## Fixer

This is my first real post so I hope it is a good one. I'm looking to put about 9-10lbs of Texas Holey Rock in a 30 gallon. This tank is a planted dwarf gourami and invert aquarium, I do not have any cichlids.

My current pH is stable and hovers around neutral, right at 7, with 0-NH3/0-NO2/0-NO3. As for water hardness our water is pretty stable right around 6-7 dH.

How does this stuff (limestone) affect pH and is there anything I should look out for? Will this even work? I need the pH to stay below 7.5. Any information would be helpful.

A photo of the tank:


----------



## RonB

I think it's used to raise PH. Watch you're PH as I think it will get above 7.5.


----------



## Manafel

Texas holey rock will raise your pH, you could experiment by how much by putting it in a bucket of water and measuring the pH levels for a while


----------



## ArtyG

Unless you are keeping fish that specifically need high PH, like most of the African cichlids but certainly not dwarf gouramis, I would remove that hunk of limestone pronto.


----------



## NeonShark666

Having a live tank with 0 NH3, 0 NO2 and 0 NO3 isn't possible. As others have said, limestone always raises ph.


----------



## jrman83

A new tank can easily read 0/0/0. Ammonia can take a little while to show.

Why that ph? I kept a Dwarf Gourami in 8.2 ph with no issue. Is that more than one in there?


----------



## Fixer

Thanks for all the replies, here are a couple of responses.

So looks like all my hoping was in vain, limestone is out. Thanks for being honest.

I just got back from the fish shop and spoke with my fish guy. I'm going to look into lava rock. In the mean time I went with my original plan B and got a piece of malaysian drift wood I'm going to boil tomorrow. I'll post back when I get it in there.

@ ArtyG the rock in the photo is plastic but regardless it is not in the tank either. It is hollow and was having a real effect on my water quality because it had no flow through it.

@ NeonShark666 the tank is not new, it is almost six months old. I should clear up the readings. I meant that from a water quality perspective. My current ammonia reading is .2ppm or better. 

NO2/NO3 readings have never been higher than .5ppm and 40ppm respectively, current readings are almost 0/0. I'm using strip testers. With regular water changes I have not ever had an issue with NO2/NO3, just have to watch the ammonia I was at .5ppm for a few days last month.

@ jrman83 there are 5 gouramis. Mostly because of them and the amazon sword. I've not had success at anything above 8 in my last tank.


----------



## Cat696

If you have achieved the "miracle" of a stable PH around Neutral, INSIDE the borders of Texas? DO NOT put that "stuff" in your tank. We have a great deal of limestone and Calcium clay as well as other types of rock here. I cannot get the PH below 8.6 to save my life! I had to start using bottled water, and then filtered water and rebuild the water from scratch!! You will not be able to do that if you put that rock in the tank. Better yet, try using some driftwood. The inverts love it, and at most, it would pull your PH down by maybe .2... That will not bother what you have in the tank in the least. Also, avoid Lava rock like the plague.. Good luck!


----------



## Fixer

I had trouble with higher pH when I lived in north and south Dallas but I live in north Ft. Worth now and the water is very stable, I don't have to mess with it at all and my readings are always between 6.8 and 7.2.

The "malaysian driftwood" I got sure does look and smell like american cedar. Either way it is boiling up nicely.

thanks


----------



## WhiteGloveAquatics

Fixer, I used to use THR in my central america/north america cichlid tanks, Ive seen them only in hard water set ups and I do believe it is kinda like flagstone which is very akaline. If a rock is going to alter the Ph take some vinegar with you and put a drop on the rock, if it fizzes like alka-seltzer it will raise the Ph if it doesnt fixx its very safe to assume it is inert and will not effect the water chemistry.


----------



## Fixer

Thanks!

I had heard that the vinegar reaction was a good way to tell, makes sense.

I went ahead and used some "driftwood" I got at the fish store. I looks great and I was able to boil almost all the tannin out of it so my water is still clear. I will post a picture as soon as I get some taken.


----------

