My PH keeps falling.

[suzimcmullen]

What causes my PH to fall all the time? I do have some buffer stuff to use and I have never used more than a pinch here or there because I've seen some controversial discussions on another site about how it's supposed to be bad to use it.

What causes it to fluctuate and how is it best to get it to the reef safe 8.2?

Thanks
Suzi

[SuperNerd]

What do you mean by controversial? Corals need it. I would get a reliable test kit and keep it at an adequate level. I dose pickling lime at night, with a doser.

[suzimcmullen]

What I was told was that when we start using chemicals of any kind we run the risk of dosing too high or creating an unstable environment so that it's falling and rising constantly.

I have a reef buffer made by Seachem I believe is the brand. I never heard of pickling lime before.

Suzi

[rollnheavy]

i keep calcium,alk,and mag. in check and quit testing for ph. and never had any problems..just my .02

[IslandCrow]

It depends on what you mean by buffer. Many PH buffers contain borate (or maybe it's boron). Seachem is one of them. Even those that don't raise your PH by raising your alkalinity, which can eventually begin to get too high. At the very least, dosing alkalinity alone will disrupt the balance between calcium and alkalinity.

But to your problem. Check out the article below, and I think it will help. Most of the time, low PH is caused by lack of proper gas exchange at the surface of the water. Having sufficient water flow and turbulence usually fixes that. Another common cause is excessive CO2 inside the house, which is common during the winter, since the doors and windows are usually closed. Anyway, the article will tell you much more as well as ways to correct the problem.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm

[rbursek]

There is 2 buffers Seachem makes, Reef and Marine buffer, the Reef Buffer is the one to use.

[suzimcmullen]

Hmmm.... Thanks for the article. But as usual it's way over my very unscientific mind. I did gleam that low ph can be related to the tank still cycling. So since my tank is cycling I'll hope that's it. I'll keep monitoring it and we'll see what happens.

My reef tank seems to stay where it should be. It's my hospital tank that is swinging too low. So I should be able to raise it manually without worrying too much. There's no corals in there that I need to worry over. The water is being changed so fast and so often that it's probably just as it will be until the tank settles down.

Suzi

[suzimcmullen]

Thanks. I do have the reef buffer.

Suzi

[seapug]

Your alkalinity is probably low. Alkalinity is what stabilizes your pH. It's normal during cycling but you should still try to maintain proper pH and Alkalinity parameters during the cycle. The good thing is Alkalinity is one of the easiest things to maintain. First get an Alkalinity test and find out what your Alk values actually are. Once you determine that you can use the Seachem buffer or even plain old Arm & Hammer baking soda to bring it in line.

Use this calculator to determine how much to use based on how much you need to raise it and the volume of your tank:

http://jdieck1.home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The primary thing to avoid is dosing buffers to solve pH problems when alkalinity is not low. Yes, you need to add alkalinity supplements when alkalinity is needed, but adding a buffer to control pH will not work, and usually ends up with excessive alkalinity.

When your tank is done cycling, if the pH is still too low, then look to better options for raising pH, such as limewater, more fresh air, or a high pH two part system for calcium and alkalinity. :)

[IslandCrow]

I may have missed it, but what is the PH of your tank? Also, if you didn't know already, it will fluctuate throughout the day and night, so it's a good idea to test it both during the day and at night to see what your PH range is. Getting a PH probe will also make keeping an eye on your PH much easier.

[suzimcmullen]

I don't trust those probes. I had one for my garden and it was junk.

My ph always seems to be 7.8. I don't think that will hurt my fish in the hospital tank too much, but I know that's too low for the reef. It remains between 8 and 8.2.

Suzi

[epstein]

Suzi.......What ever you do ...Whatever means you utilize to raise your PH ...and subsequently your Alk .....Do It Slowly.Over a period of Several Days. The tank and its inhabitants are acclimated to this PH,......By raising these levels suddenly you will cause undue stress on your inhabitants and limit subsequent die off.
I tend to agree with a recent speaker I just heard....While baking soad is a cheap and effective tool for PH ....There are plenty of impurities that can adversely affect your tanks health.

Brian

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't trust those probes. I had one for my garden and it was junk.

You mean a specific probe, or pH probes in general? I properly calibrated pH meter, even a cheap one, is far more likely to be accurate than a pH kit. pH test kits are very unreliable.

Make sure any pH meter you use has two point calibration. If it tests the calibration fluids (pH 7 and 10, typically) correctly, it is virtually guaranteed to be accurate in reef aquaria.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I tend to agree with a recent speaker I just heard....While baking soad is a cheap and effective tool for PH ....There are plenty of impurities that can adversely affect your tanks health.

Hogwash.

No doubt that speaker works for a company that sells buffers, right? :D

Food grade baking soda from a grocery store is going to be at least as good quality as buffers sold by hobby companies, and in many cases it is a better choice as it is not laden with additives that you do not want, such as borate.

That said, buffers are not the way to raise pH. Limewater and more fresh air are the best ways.

[suzimcmullen]

My probe was about 35 dollars and only had one metal spike sticking out of it. No matter what I put it in, it always read 7.0. Even buckets of nutrients that were old and skanky and needed replaced came up 7.0. The only time I ever saw a different reading was when I put it in vinegar. I just had a hard time believing out of all the substances I tried it was always 7.0. I was adding various substances to raise the PH in the plant nutrients and either none of it ever worked or the probe didn't. I just gave up monitoring my PH at all in the plant room and everything seems to be growing fine.

Suzi

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

:lol:

OK, any use of a pH meter in a marine aquarium requires that you be able to calibrate it in appropriate standard solutions prior to use it. You may have had an inappropriate one, or a broken one. :)