**Need Help ASAP PH was 8.13 and now IT'S 2.33**

[DougGraham]

Like the title says my PH went from a good 8.13 right down to a really bad 2.33 all in one night..

So to start i will tell you about my system and the checks i have done:
**Tanks been up since Jan-30-11**
Eshopps PSK75 in sump Skimmer
Phosban Reactor 150 (media: NPX Bioplastics)(Installed last week on Monday night)
BRS GFO Reactor (Installed last week on Friday night)
BRS Carbon Reactor (Installed last week on Friday night)

Just ran some tests but i need to get a new ALK test
Nitrite is = 0
Nitrate is = 0
Ammonia is = 0
Phosphate is = 0
SG = 1.025
Temp is 77 - 79

So some of the other test i ran were to check my Reef Keeper Elite PH so I have the cal fluid of 10.01 and 7.01 so I wanted to just check the cal for both and both turn up to be within .02 of the cal fluid so ph probe is good.

Next test was to check freshly made salt water that i made a day before the PH was at 8.10..

So now i don't know what the heck to do so i said pull a cup of tank water and stick the PH probe in there an see what happens and what happens is that my PH goes from 2.33 all the way back up to around 8.24..

So my question is how do i fix this problem i have tried leaving windows all day with and without fans, tried doing a 8 gallon water change system is about 50 gallons total with sump, so if any can help???????

Thanks,

Doug Graham

[baws187]

This doesnt seem possible. Can you test reular water. I am pretty sure 2 would kill every thing I think your tester is wrong. Test tap water.

[geaux xman]

straight acid is 1, so i doubt your water is 2.33. check it against the 7 cal fluid again, then rerun the tank water.

[DougGraham]

This doesnt seem possible. Can you test reular water. I am pretty sure 2 would kill every thing I think your tester is wrong. Test tap water.

I have my PH probe from my Reef Keeper Elite in tape water right now reads 6.67 and is still slowly going up..

The Reef Keeper i have is only a month old so i really dont think it is the tester but tomorrow at work i will bring my work PH meter home to test against the Reef Keep and see what happens..

But for right now I'm getting really lucky because all fish are looking ok for the time being with no signs of stress yet and all corals look ok as in all are opening and if things start to go bad i have my QT tank setup an running.. But i hope it doesnt come down to this...

Thanks,
Doug Graham

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

That is certainly an erroneous reading. No matter what you add, it cannot get that low in the presence of calcium carbonate rock without becoming a bubbling cauldron as the rock dissolves.

So there is no issue with the tank, it is an issue with the meter. Probably electrical interference if measuring in a cup removes the issue. That is fairly common.

[Chris27]

Check the tank where the probe is with a multimeter for stray voltage....also verify that the probe wire itself isn't damaged or running parallel with MH or Florescent lighting cords.

The way a pH probe is designed, it's easy to encounter interference, most often times it's EMI related from on unshielded higher frequency cable nearby.

[jtma508]

This is a ground loop. Don't do anything to adjust your pH. Is your RKE attached to your PC? If so, disconnect thye SID and watch the pH. This is a documented and known issue. Been there, panic and all.

[coralreefhq]

That is certainly an erroneous reading. No matter what you add, it cannot get that low in the presence of calcium carbonate rock without becoming a bubbling cauldron as the rock dissolves.

So there is no issue with the tank, it is an issue with the meter. Probably electrical interference if measuring in a cup removes the issue. That is fairly common.

Haha yea, nothing would survive 2.33, let alone one.
A big pool of acid burned debris and livestock.

One way to bring the PH down would be to pour a few gallons of vinegar into the tank. Maybe you accidentally tipped over a container?

[unbelievable]

Digital aquatics seems to have a reputation with poor ph monitors. I have an older reef keeper that the ph prove malfunctioned with a month of having it. Sent ot in they had it for months sent it back to me claiming it was fixed and 2 weeks later the same thing happened. Hopefully this isn't the problem but good luck if you have to deal with their non existent customer service department......

[DougGraham]

This is a ground loop. Don't do anything to adjust your pH. Is your RKE attached to your PC? If so, disconnect thye SID and watch the pH. This is a documented and known issue. Been there, panic and all.

So disconnected the sid and PH went up and also tried unplugging everything last night one at time and i started with the things i just put on my system last week so with the sid plugged in i pulled the return pump for my second tank which i put a higher GPH pump on and the PH went up again..

So what with fix the issue so i can have the SID plugged into my computer?

[DougGraham]

Digital aquatics seems to have a reputation with poor ph monitors. I have an older reef keeper that the ph prove malfunctioned with a month of having it. Sent ot in they had it for months sent it back to me claiming it was fixed and 2 weeks later the same thing happened. Hopefully this isn't the problem but good luck if you have to deal with their non existent customer service department......

well i know what you mean with the customer service about two weeks after getting my box with the reef keeper and getting it all setup the head unit would turn it's self on off all the time and one day i came home to my tanks off and it took them about three weeks to even contact me after i contacted them so right now im wishing i went with another controller.. Future upgrade i guess..

[hvacman250]

My problem was interference between the SID and the ground probe. If I unplugged one or the other, pH was fine. I believe most others are doing the SID wirelessly to eliminate the problem; that is if you want to continue running a ground probe.

[DougGraham]

My problem was interference between the SID and the ground probe. If I unplugged one or the other, pH was fine. I believe most others are doing the SID wirelessly to eliminate the problem; that is if you want to continue running a ground probe.

Since i started my tanks i have never had a ground probe and i still dont..

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, ground probes are not a general problem with pH measurement, but might be for a particular design. I have my pH probe and the ground in the same part of my sump. :)

[jtma508]

It can be any stray ground issue that can cause this. The way to get aroiund it is to connect your SID to your PC wirelessly. I use a Zonet ZU2000 USB to Ethernet interface that connects to a Linksys WAP. There are a number of ways to do this depending upon how your network is setup at home. But it will fix the problem.