PH woes

[kernyboy]

my ph went up from 8.2 to 8.4? I'm new to this all, but is this bad? it's a Fairly new tank.. about 3 months old. I have a few beginner coral in there. what could have caused this? what should I be doing? how do I fix this?

[tmz]

8.4 is not a cause for concern. Are you testing ph at the same time of day? It will vary with the lighting cycle and photosynthetic activity.

[kernyboy]

Well, I went from having a FOWLR to some coral. My tank used to be stable at 8.2, then I started added coral. Last night I did a water change, and did a water test and now its at 8.4? My other FOWLR tank is at 8.2 still.

Does having Coral change your ph? I read the safe range is 8.0 to 8.5...should i be somewhere in the middle? i was also reading lemon, or vinegar can bring the PH down. Should I go this route?

[tmz]

8.4 is good. There is no need to dose anything to lower it. Ranges are ranges. There is nothing to suggest being in the middle is better than being on the end.
In fact the high side might actually be a bit better for coral calcification.Yes corals can affect ph since they absorb CO2 during photosynthesis and propduce oxygen. Adding Co2 will drop ph. Vinegar does this but it is acetic acid which can fuel bacterial growth. Never heard of anyone lusing lemon for this purpose ,however,it is also acidic.
Atr you dosing additives/supplements?

[kernyboy]

So in short, the corals are helping to oxygenate the water...removed C02 which drops the PH... :) I'm not using any additives. Do you recommend I do? Are there any good reads on how coral affects water chemistry? I've been poking around a bit, but figured you guys would have a better idea. thanks.

[tmz]

If you are keeping corals and other calcifying organisms you will need to manage calcium, carbonate and magnesium. Corals consume these these to calcify and grow.First, you need to test for these elements and establish your levels of consumption and then add accordingly to maintain recommended levels. The articles by Randy Holmes Farely at the begining of the reef chemistry forum cover a broad array of subjects related to reef chemistry and practices.

In addition to oxygenation the corals will take up some nitrate and phosphate,

[kernyboy]

I went to the pet store...they sold me calcium and a calcium tester. My PH is still at 8.4. I did some reading and I gather that at night the PH goes up with coral respiration (around the time I tested it when i got off work). I discovered that PH is usually higher at night since there is more CO2 absorbtion going on in the water when all my livestock is active and photosynthesis is taking place with the lights on.

I read that akalinity is the amount of carbonate and bicarbonate in the water needed for coral to grow.... and The corals suck up CO2....the reduction in CO2 raises the PH.

But my question to you is...do I simply need to add calcium from time to time? What additives do I use to manage PH?

I was reading briefly about calcium akalinity tandem additives...can you shed some light on this? thanks again.

[kernyboy]

sorry...quick last minute question...should i Just add CO2 (seltzer water) and calcium from time to time? or do i need to go buy supplements at the pet store?

[bertoni]

You'll need to add alkalinity as well as calcium. This article might help:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

[tmz]

You don't need to add seltzer water . Ph at 8.4 is fine. Actually the ph goes up during the day and down during the evening. In most reef tanks the highest ph is just before the lights go out and the lowest is just before they go on. Testing should also include testing for alkalinity not just calcium. You may not need to dose anything for a while if your alkalinity and calcium are ok. In start up tanks with a few cal cifying organisms you water changes and salt mix may meet your needs. Get used to testing and understand the reef chemistry before you do start dosing.