Ph???

[ShAgMaN]

Ok, so I ened up doing my annual parameter testing this morning and this is what I came up with:
Salinity - 1.026
Nitrate - 0
Phos - 0
Calc - 460..or somewhere around there
PH - 7.7-7.8
Temp. - 79 deg.

BTW, I didn't bother with nittite and amonia...and I don't have an alk test.

So my concern is PH. I calibrated my digital tester and used it, plus I used the drop test kit and both came up with the same results.

Also, I have been told tap water is commonly high Ph, so I check my tapwater and it showed low - 7.6. This was also the same on both tests..even droping in the 7.4 range on my digital.

I'm just trying to understand why my Ph is so low and if this is normal/ok. Corals seem fine.

Only thing I dose are sea-lab tabs once a week (for calc). I use chemi-pure elite, have plenty of live rock, skim, and do 15-20 gal. tap water changes (on my 150 gal.) every other week with instant ocean cheapo salt.

[LuckySingh]

terry the main goal to achieve i think in this hobby is consistency of numbers...
ph 7.7 or 7.8 is not bad at all as long as it is stable and dnt fluctuate much....
my ph is always 7.7 to 7.9 when lights r out and 8.1 to 8.3 during photo period...my main thing we need to understand is a lack of oxygen drops the ph....every once in a gud while if i see my ph reading below 7.7 i open my windows and it do the job....as long as ur tank has a gud water movement and u skim gud than ph should read gud...
and bro alk and mag plays very important role in reef keeping..i highly recommend to get those test kits....Low alk can make ph drop also and not only this it is also a common cause that can make a tank crash.....
if u want i can always test alk for u...just swing in anytime...

[aquasport24]

terry the main goal to achieve i think in this hobby is consistency of numbers...
ph 7.7 or 7.8 is not bad at all as long as it is stable and dnt fluctuate much....
my ph is always 7.7 to 7.9 when lights r out and 8.1 to 8.3 during photo period...my main thing we need to understand is a lack of oxygen drops the ph....every once in a gud while if i see my ph reading below 7.7 i open my windows and it do the job....as long as ur tank has a gud water movement and u skim gud than ph should read gud...
and bro alk and mag plays very important role in reef keeping..i highly recommend to get those test kits....Low alk can make ph drop also and not only this it is also a common cause that can make a tank crash.....
if u want i can always test alk for u...just swing in anytime...
+1

[ShAgMaN]

Ya, I need to buy a test kit for alk. and mag...couldn't find them. As far as Ph, it's been consistent, just on the low side and I'm trying to figure out why. Course the alk test might point that out.

[hobogato]

+ 1 on the stagnant air. simple way to test that:

put some of your tank water in a cup with an aerator outside of your house. let it bubble for 10 minutes or so and then see if the pH is higher than it is in your tank. if so, open a window in the morning before it gets to hot or late evening after it cools down outside to let some fresh air into the house.

[ShAgMaN]

Ya, I've heard that can make a difference. I'll try it, thanks.

Oh, btw I have high circulation and fans blowing in the canopy.

I'm thinking I have low alk, it's been forever since I've checked...but I always remember that being fine.

I'm gonna slap myself for being a bad reefer - so much for TOTM. LOL.

[BSJF]

Did you calibrate your pH pen/probe yet?

[ShAgMaN]

Yes, thanks for the advice though...it's was still accurate .

[BSJF]

what salt do you use?

[ShAgMaN]

IO, regular not Reef Crystals...most the time.

[Gseclipse02]

I/o


I thought alk was the stabillity of ur Ph. ? If. Ur alk is good than ur Ph will stay consistant?


My Ph is always low also but. Everything seems fine

[BSJF]

IO is usually higher in alk than RC.

And, how do you treat the tapwater?

Like others have said, if your stuff looks fine, I wouldn't worry about it.

[ShAgMaN]

I/o


I thought alk was the stabillity of ur Ph. ? If. Ur alk is good than ur Ph will stay consistant?


My Ph is always low also but. Everything seems fine

Thats exactly what I've always known, but I'm still not cool with a low Ph - even though its stable. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but everthing I can find recommends reef tanks in the 8.2-8.3 range.



IO is usually higher in alk than RC.

And, how do you treat the tapwater?

Like others have said, if your stuff looks fine, I wouldn't worry about it.

I treat tap water how I treat my women...ok woman. Great! JK, actually I buy Aqueon water conditioner - prolly middle of the line. But I've gone with Kents and a few other water conditioners in the past.

I'm not real worried, but I want a thriving tank, and I just don't get why my Ph is so low.....so....instead of doing the right thing and buying an alk test kit, I decided to add some buffer and raise the Ph.

Tried airing out the house and still came up with the same results. I believe the high calcium is droping the Ph, and buffering the water should bring it back up...we'll see. I know, I know, I need to get an alk test kit. Maybe tomorrow.

[LuckySingh]

ALK also acts as a buffer for ph....but it should only be dose as a two part and without having a test kit its hard to guesstimate the amount of solution u need to dose....its better to be safe and do it slow...
on the other hand if ur mag is low ur alk never shows up right....its like i said consistency of ur water parameters....it all needs to be in order....my tanks ph is always aroung 7.5 to 8.1 and i would like it to be set at 8.3 also but more i will mess with it the worst it'll go...
i read a thing on reef central a while back is like the lesser u put hands in ur tank the better ur corals grow....

[ShAgMaN]

ALK also acts as a buffer for ph....but it should only be dose as a two part and without having a test kit its hard to guesstimate the amount of solution u need to dose....its better to be safe and do it slow...
on the other hand if ur mag is low ur alk never shows up right....its like i said consistency of ur water parameters....it all needs to be in order....my tanks ph is always aroung 7.5 to 8.1 and i would like it to be set at 8.3 also but more i will mess with it the worst it'll go...
i read a thing on reef central a while back is like the lesser u put hands in ur tank the better ur corals grow....

Agree with everything you said man...but tell me what got worse when you messed with it? Did you ever try to add buffer, and if so what happened? I followed the directions on dosage and I'm taking it slow.

Oh believe me, I keep my hands out as much as possible. Rarely do they go in once a week for any length of time.

[Gseclipse02]

i went threw a whole bottle of that ph buffer 8.3 the purple bottle one sea chem in brand i think .... i thought it was junk i didnt see an increase in ph after using a whole botttle in 10 days

[ShAgMaN]

Weird cause I used a small dose of it and already registering 8.1. I'm kinda bummed casue I didn't wanna raise it that fast.

[LuckySingh]

It's just me bro that likes to test every thing before dozing anything in my tank....everyone here do different and u know ur tank more than anyone out here...
If I were u u before dosing buffer for ph I would think that I will raise my alk aswell and how much it will raise that u can only know by testing it before h dose....
As I said if h maintain ur alk ur ph stabilize by itself....
Also r u running a refugium... If so how manh watts do u hve for u fuge....sometimes increasing ur fuge light helps that aswell....


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[ShAgMaN]

It's just me bro that likes to test every thing before dozing anything in my tank....everyone here do different and u know ur tank more than anyone out here...
If I were u u before dosing buffer for ph I would think that I will raise my alk aswell and how much it will raise that u can only know by testing it before h dose....
As I said if h maintain ur alk ur ph stabilize by itself....
Also r u running a refugium... If so how manh watts do u hve for u fuge....sometimes increasing ur fuge light helps that aswell....


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Ya, I'm pretty much going on my instincts (to include knowledge of my tank and advice from experienced reefers). I feel confident in my decision and will accept the consequences if necessary. The only thing I'm stressed about right now is raising my ph so fast.

This goes farther back than my fuge light, which just happened to go out a month or so ago...but added light to the subject (pun intended). I've recently added a nice and bright LED for it. But the low Ph has been there way before this.

[ShAgMaN]

Finally tested...dkh at 8. This appears normal, but I'm going to raise it a little to see if I can eventaully stabilize Ph higher.

I've read some peeps going as high as 12-13 and stabilizing Ph around 8.3. I'm going up to 10 and seeing where that takes me to start.

LFS was out of Mag test kit.

Thanks for all the advice Maasterds.

[hobogato]

yep, NSW is 8dKH, but most people keep their tanks between 9dKH and 11dKH.

[CoryDude]

Can you measure total alk? A cheap way to increase ph along with alk is to use baked baking soda. A few table spoons a week on my 120 keeps total alk at 4mEq/L and ph day/night at 8.3. Without it they fall to 2.0 and 8.0 respectivly.