Low PH

[Kenmx10]

I us a RO/DI unit. I do a 20 % water change every week. I check my water parameters after every change. My PH always reads 7.7 and kh always 8 drops. Ive been adding Kent SuperBuffer every week to raise PH. I have a FOWLR tank. What can I do to stabilize the PH around 8.0 and raise the KH?

[sw500]

I use the kent superbuffer on my 220 it works great . I add it every day till i get the ph i wont then every 2 weeks after that to keep it there.

[reefnetworth]

Kent Superbuffer has borate, - not good for a reef tank...

Mrs Wages pickleing lime, one tablespoon per gallon of RO/DI = Kalkwasser.
it can be found in the grocery, in the canning section.

1 lb. of baking soda spread thin over a cookie sheet cooked for one hour at 300F mixed with one gallon of RO/DI will also raise Alk.

[HighlandReefer]

What is your salinity level? What do you use to measure your salinity and pH with? Which salt mix do you use?

[salmon alley]

Kenmx10-

Something else to consider: Where is the tank located in your house? If the tank is in a room where people spend a lot of time and the house is buttoned up tight, the CO2 from all the people breathing will raise the CO2 level of the room. More CO2 will then dissolve into your water driving down the pH.
Easy way to check this is to take a cup of water from your tank outside, aerate it with an airstone for an hour and then check the pH. If it's significantly higher, the issue is CO2 levels in the home.

[Kenmx10]

salt is seachem Reef salt. Measure salt with Deep Six Hydrometer. Reading is1.021. I use a tetra test kit on the PH. I read up on Randys article about CO2. My tank is in my office where no one goes but me. And its well ventilated. So Im ruling that as last option. I know RO/DI water has a low Ph level. But from what Ive read here, It souldnt lower the PH in your tank. It hasnt been causing a problem, But in the future I want to introduce corals , so I want to be able to maintain correct ph first.

[HighlandReefer]

If you are going to add corals then you will want to increase your salinity level up to around 1.0260 -1.0270 in my opinion. PH kits are notoriously unreliable and I personally would not hold much faith in your current measurements. I would purchase a pH meter if you are serious about corals. The Deep Six Hydrometer's are notoriously off on their salinity readings. I would purchase a good refractometer before you make any adjustments in your salinity or you will likely end up much higher than you will want. In other words, if it is reading 1.021 now, it is very likely from my experience that your actual reading is about 1.024. :)

[HighlandReefer]

When you say your kH is about 8 drops, what does this correlate to for an actual dKH number? If it is an API kit one might assume a reading of 8 dKH. If your alk. is around 8 dKH than your pH is most likely in the range of 8.0 - 8.2, possibly as low as 7.8 if you have high CO2 levels. For now I would not worry about your pH at all, but would be more concerned about your other water parameters and getting reliable test kits and equipment to measure them with.

[Kenmx10]

Sorry, The KH is 8dh. I've always heard the Gravity Hydrometers where not accurate. But I figured the Ph kit was right because it reads 7.7 every time, unless I start dosing w/buffer. I'll get better Kits. I'm not going to get corals anytime soon, But I am going to harvest some rock out of Floriida in about 2 months and I would like to be able to support corals just for the sake of the life on the rock. Thanks