You know, I always had a lower PH (7.8) and started topping off with kalk 24/7 with a ATO/dosing pump. It got me to 8.3 for a while, but now it has slowly dropped right back to 7.8. If I pump enough to keep the ph up, my tank overfills. THe effluent of the kalk is ~11.8. What gives? My alk is 11-12 dkh, everything else looks ok. What else should I be looking at?
How do you keep your ph up?
- Thread starter derek_s
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Mine stays around 8.0 if I notice it lower I use Reef Builder..
Mine stays around 8.0 if I notice it lower I use Reef Builder..but I dose lower then it says to, so it don't jump fast
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The easiest fix is to first try venting your house of gases. CO2 levels inside are much higher than outside. Once you vent the excess CO2 out you'll probably find the ph of your tank will go up as well.
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I agree.. If it doesn't... Then oh well... I learned a long time ago, not to chase a number. I was trying to go over kill on the Kalk and my tank just would not stay up there. So I gave up and quit messing with it. My PH stays around 7.8 all the time and everything is fine and happy and growing like a champ. I still dose Kalk but not to hit a number.
On a side note, what do your Mag and your CA levels test out to?
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i think he should look at his alk level too. because your alk its your ability to keep your pH at a stable level
7.8 isn't bad as long as it's consistent. If it really bothers you, check your cal and mag levels and see if they are ok, I see you have a reading on your alk. There's a good article I read on how ph, cal and alk are related I'll try and find it and post the link.
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He said his alk was at 11-12 DkH.
Here's the article I was talking about:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php</a>
Sorry, like that article took, but copied the wrong one from my favorites, here's the one I was talking about
[IMG]http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm</a>
Basically, my understanding is if your mag is ok, and you keep your cal and alk in line your ph should be stable and within range, assuming good circulation.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php">http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php</a>
Sorry, like that article took, but copied the wrong one from my favorites, here's the one I was talking about
[IMG]http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm</a>
Basically, my understanding is if your mag is ok, and you keep your cal and alk in line your ph should be stable and within range, assuming good circulation.
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Xyzpdq0121;174214 wrote: He said his alk was at 11-12 DkH.
http://www.ez-smilies.com/smilies/sign0007.gif" alt="" /> see why reading is fundamental [IMG]http://www.ez-smilies.com/smilies/sign0002.gif" alt="" />
thats exactly why you are pres for idiots like me
So... how do you vent your house of CO2? I simply cant leave windows open in the day, too much risk in Marietta where I live. Is there other ways?
My calc is about 380-400 consistently. Magnesium, I really have no idea. I use Tropic Marin, and 15% WC every week, so I just assume it is reasonable. BUT, I dont have a test for it, so who knows.
My calc is about 380-400 consistently. Magnesium, I really have no idea. I use Tropic Marin, and 15% WC every week, so I just assume it is reasonable. BUT, I dont have a test for it, so who knows.
skriz
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Don't worry about it. I would suspect (As Jin has mentioned) that you need to vent your house. It doesn't take long to do. BUT, it's not that important. As long as it stays at 7.8 stable, you're fine.
Brandon used to be concerned about getting it up. Now he just doesn't try so hard; he stoped playing with it. If it's not up, then there's always cheesie poofs.
Brandon used to be concerned about getting it up. Now he just doesn't try so hard; he stoped playing with it. If it's not up, then there's always cheesie poofs.
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Skriz;174479 wrote:
Brandon used to be concerned about getting it up. Now he just doesn't try so hard; he stoped playing with it. If it's not up, then there's always cheesie poofs.
Your right... I started adding a little blue pill to my routine but I can not suggest it because although it made things rise... I am not sure if it's long term use is reef safe.
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PHiagra!
Actually, a PH of 7.8 really isn't that great IMO. I realize fluctuations are worse than low, but I think the lower ph is solvable if the reef chemistry is adjusted. I'm just not knowledgeable enough to do it. Yet. There just has to be a reason it would become more acidic overtime.
Not to dispute Brandon, as in reality, if everything is growing and looks good, a ph of 7.8 is perhaps better than one at 8.3 where nothing grows. But I'm really wondering here. Surely if you delve deep enough, an answer exists. I will check my magnesium tomorrow... If I kill everything or don't figure it out, then 7.8 it is!
The kalk is in an inline top-off reactor, so actual mix is unknown. I just know the effluent ph is 12 ish.
Not to dispute Brandon, as in reality, if everything is growing and looks good, a ph of 7.8 is perhaps better than one at 8.3 where nothing grows. But I'm really wondering here. Surely if you delve deep enough, an answer exists. I will check my magnesium tomorrow... If I kill everything or don't figure it out, then 7.8 it is!
The kalk is in an inline top-off reactor, so actual mix is unknown. I just know the effluent ph is 12 ish.
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Fish are adaptive creatures. I have been able to take a satlwater fish ALMOST down to freshwater levels for long periods of time (4 months) with no ill effects. Imagine a FW tank with a Yellow tang swimming next to a Neon Tetra!! The level is not the harm (in most cases) it is the change. I understand your logic, "This is what the books say natural seawater is and that is what my tank should be..." But unless you are running a specific biotope tank, which 99% of the people out there are not, you have already taken your fish and your corals out of what they normally would be in and made them adapt to a common ground. I have seen tanks with fish from the Red sea, Inverts from the gulf, corals from Fiji and a star fish from California all in the same tank. Now you tell me those fish are from the same types of water...
To another point, and this coming from someone who in the past two months has added Kalk to his top off, you are going to find a problem with your plan. You are trying to avoid big swings, right? Well think about this, when does your tank add top-off? During the day... When is your PH swing the worse? At night... Follow me for a second. If your top off goes off at lets say 4:00pm and your PH is pushed up to a high point, in the few hours that Kalk helps raise your PH before starting to allow it to lower your PH is great. Then come midnight, all the kalk is gone and the tank is dark. CO2 is on the rise because your tank is not processing it. Your PH takes a nose dive. You are going to find swings that are higher then ever before. So now you are stuck finding a way to dose at night or slowly through the 24 hour cycle. So you can dip Kalk at night if you have a dip vessel, you can get a very high price parabolic pump and set it to put in a bit of Kalk every so often, even at night. Beyond that, there really is no good solution.
You are right though, I have chased the problem of low PH for a while now. I am a person that likes to find the solution... That one thing that is causing it.. There has to be SOMETHING right?!? The more and more I find out, the more and more I learn that whatever it is might just be outside my control. I have one of the most active fuges I know of. I have tried a variety of different methods. I have tried to dose and dose different things. Alas, nothing has made a lasting effect. That is the way my tank wants to run and is stable and the more I try, the more unstable I make things. Funny thing is, for the first year of life in my tank, my tank ran spot on 8.4. It was only at its first birthday that it started to have problems. Whatever the reason, no amount of Kalk, Baking Soda, Buffer, Reef Builder, Mag, Two Part, Cursing, O2 from the outside... ANything has made a long term solution.
I got your long term solution right here.
STOP testing it!!!!. If your corals and fishs are healthy then leave it alone.
I test like a mad man in my first year. Then missed every often on testing and now after 3 years I am not even testing anything anymore. Corals and fish have a funny way of telling you that something are wrong.
STOP testing it!!!!. If your corals and fishs are healthy then leave it alone.
I test like a mad man in my first year. Then missed every often on testing and now after 3 years I am not even testing anything anymore. Corals and fish have a funny way of telling you that something are wrong.
Obviously, it's your call if you want to adjust it. But I would definitely suggest not using any type of PH buffer. I'd check the mag, alk (which you have) and calc. Personally if they are all in line I'd leave well enough alone, but you might find one of your other parameters off causing it. If you didn't read the links to the articles I posted earlier I'd recommend it, they are pretty straight forward articles that I have found very useful.
