Thank you for your response. I guess I can just give the cichlid substrate a try and test the water and see. If I need to replace it after awhile I guess that’s okay. I would rather try a different substrate that can buffer instead of using chemicals because I think that is a losing battle. I have high GH coming from the tap but lower KH and I have always worried about a ph crash if I don’t buffer the water a little. I am just getting tired of mesh bags with crushed coral in my tanks. Lol