Ph 7.4!

[rostato]

Man I just cannot get away with not using buffer on my system!

I woke up this morning to a ph reading of 7.43 on one probe and 7.5 on the other...

It usually is around 7.6 in the morning, and 7.8-.9 during the day but this is a little exsessive.

I recently starteds using a calcium reactor, but the co2 is only on for 4 hours a day, it should not lower it that much!

What gives?

dKH 9 with Hach kit
Calc 390 with Salifret
PH 7.43 reefkeeper, 7.5 Miluakee ph controller Barely registers on API kit

I guess I need to go check mag...

 

[mvm]

Mine is always 7.6-7.7 when I get up in the AM. I've just stopped worrying about it....

 

[jennm]

Calibrated your probes lately?

 

[rostato]

yeah they are calibrated. I am fine with it at 7.6-7.7 in the AM, that where I am consistantly at, but 7.4 is a little low.

Probes calibrated a week ago.

I buffered it up over an hour to 7.65, and it's steady.

Now my dKH is
Hach 11.2
salifert kit #1 9.7
salifert kit #2 10.6...I HATE testing. I can;t believe I get this many varied results!

Mag 1380 Salifert

I am going to let it stabalize for a couple days before I do any thing else, maybe this was just a fluke, but my PH did not rise over 7.6 yesterday, so thats probably why it dropped so low last night.

Maybe I need to oxygenate the water coming out of the calcium reactor...but seriously only 4 hours of co2 a day should not be that much of a pain!

 

[ace1204]

Does everything look healthy? If so then i would ride it out honestly unless it continues to dip.

 

[kr561]

am i the only one that has never checked his PH or anything at all really?? =/

 

[rostato]

It's hard to tell because my lights don't come on untill 10am. So I looked with a flashlight, and everything looks ok, some retracted polyps on my pocillopora, but thats normal, and my small clam is not fully open, but looks semi normal. Hydnophora is a little retracted.

Like I said I just need to wait untill lights some on. But its a steady 7.6 now that I buffed it up.

 

[ace1204]

yes lol

 

[rostato]

KR561;320413 wrote: am i the only one that has never checked his PH or anything at all really?? =/

definatly!

 

[kr561]

****....i really need to buy a test kit =(

 

[kr561]

i just stuck with water changes every week....but now that i have a larger tank,i think its best that i get a test kit.i really dont want to lose everything

 

[roundman]

Since I put one of the DIY kalk reactors on my top off my Ph stays at 8.3-8.4. I also use reverse lighting on the fuge and frag tank.

 

[rostato]

I run an MRC kalk reactor too! This is always a problem for me even before the calcium reactor.

I usually just let it be, but 7.4 is alarming to me.

 

[reefknight]

I live in Perry now as we bought a new house a couple of years ago. When I moved in and set up my tank I noticed my ph bottom out from the usual 8.0-8.3 (at the old house) to 7.5-7.7 in the new house. After much research, buffer and other wild ideas I discovered my problem; it was a new house. The house is too well sealed and the CO2 from my family, two dogs, etc is being trapped inside. It has balanced there and does fluctuate sometimes to about 7.3-7.4, mornings mostly. In truth I wouldn't worry, I stopped a long time ago. Also we have had a lot of rain in the past week, I'm sure you're like me and have kept the house pretty much shut tight.

 

[rostato]

Yup. Your probably right. Yeah this is a new house also. Brick at that. I am opening some windows today to let all that co2 out. I didnt even think about how long it's been since I opened some windows!

We'll see if it straightens out. I usually don't care, but I have never seen is dip this low, so I was a little worried.