african pH

Question
hey so i've got a 30 gal which i want to put young mbunas in. I've got everything ready and put a few in there already. (labs and zebras) I have a canister filter(for 65 gallons) and a bunch of rocks. The aquarium shop that i bought the rocks from said that they would raise my pH. But right now its around a 6.8. all other readings are neutral, except for the hardness which is high. will the pH slowly rise (how long?) or should i try to slowly add a pH raising chemical?

PS- and if i want to breed zebras, what should i try to get the pH to?

Answer
Hi Rob,
Never put chemicals in your tank to raise the PH...these chemicals that they sell are no good because they will cause the PH to fluctuate all the time, and you will get a headache just trying to get it stable.  A stable PH is very important.  To get your PH higher you could use seashells.  Sometimes you can find them at the dollar store, and they do the trick.  Wash them well, and put some in your aquarium...wait 12 hours, and check your PH, if it is at the level you want it to be, don't add anymore, if not, keep adding, and checking, but do this slowly as to not stress your fish.
As a rule, you cannot go wrong with a 8.0 PH for most African Chiclids.  Your water is hard, and this is very important.  The temperature should be between should be 76-80.  Also I would like to mention that a 30 gallon is not the best for zebras.  If you ever decide to invest in a bigger one, it would be better.  The minimum size for africans, is 55 gallons, depending on how many fish you put in.
Hope this helps
Lynda