Ph

[glxtrix]

ok, so question for ya'll, what causes your PH to drop? What is not right in my tank to have it drop; and whats a good way to keep it constant, and is there any "home products" that you can use to raise it. Thanks.

lee - glxtrix

 

[matttvi]

 

[glxtrix]

hmmm, is an interesting article. Although my tank is at work in a closed office, I do have the airvents blowing on the tank, granted its just a 10g and I have a AC modded on the back, I supose it could be due to the air, but then again there is nothing I can do about that, hmmmmm.

 

[broreefr]

I am fairly sure that your ph is dropping because of the Livestock in the Tank ie. the more corals,fish, and inverts, the more nutrients they are extracting from the water thus the drop in the tanks PH. This appears normal

With a 10 gal tank that doesnt give a lot of volume, you didnt say if you did, but I would suggest looking at some type of PH buffer. There are many brands, and they work.

From my LIMITED experience though, nothing keeps a tank thriving like a regular schedule of small, but frequent water changes.

 

[glxtrix]

yeah I have a PH buffer but I hate that it raises alk when you add it, guess I just have to not add alk stuff when I'm raising the PH. Thanks.

 

[schwaggs]

Is the low pH causing you problems? How low is low?

 

[glxtrix]

7.7-7.9

 

[simon_kruger]

I have a thrieving coral reef at no more than 7.9. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[pillz]

Man I have to say I dont think the PH buffer is worth using. Whenever you use a PH buffer it also increases your ALK. so if you dont watch it your tank may almost crash like mine. But now that Im back from the crash my pH is staying high, like 8.4-.6 during the day and 8.1-.3 at night.

 

[schwaggs]

Simon.Kruger wrote: I have a thrieving coral reef at no more than 7.9. I wouldn't worry about it.

<span style="color: black;">My point exactly. If your inhabitants are thriving, don't worry what your actual pH is as the problem is most likely with your measurement apparatus. I, like Pillz, once tried to chase the "perfect numbers" by adding buffers and such and it didn't work for me either. All I ended up doing was making toxic soup. I have a pH and ORP meter on my system but all I use it for is watching for drastic changes in pH rather than paying attention to the actual numbers.</span>

<span style="color: black;">If you are dead set in improving the pH in your system, I recommend a refugium on a reverse lighting cycle. That will keep the pH from dropping much overnight.</span>

<span style="color: black;">And like Broreefr said, in small systems, the respiration of the animals in the tank can chronically effect pH, there may be nothing you can do if the system is loaded heavily.</span>

 

[glxtrix]

everything seems to be going well, guess I didnt realize if there would be a huge problem if that went on; then again it isnt that low. I do have a mini refugium on the tank and the bioload is small, just two clowns. oh well, thanks all for the help tho