| Re: ph tests
I agree with Kuli Loach, you would want to look for a 'high range' pH test, which are very common, in my area at least.
However, it might help you to know that pH might not be as crucial to your african cichlid's survival as you might think. IMHO, and IME, freshwater fish can acclimate themselves to a wide range of pH levels if given enough time to do so. That said, it is much more important that you maintain a constant and/or stable pH level rather than trying to 'aim' for a specific number. I understand that not everyone will agree with me on this, but from what I have read and experienced thus far in the hobby, only a select few FW fish require a specific pH, and that is most often the case only for breeding (with discuss being the possible exception to that for a couple of reasons). I can honestly tell you that I kept and bred a few mbuna for more than a year in a tank with a pH of around 7.2 to 7.4.
Otherwise, I suggest using a method of buffering pH which is more permanant than some of the chemicals and products available such as using calcium carbonate based substrates. | 
