Maintaining Stable pH

[nyknicks4412]

So my tank has been up and running for about a month now. Fully cycled and beginning the stocking process. However, I seem to be running into one issue, maintaining a stable pH above 8.2. I've added a buffer that raises it temporarily but within an hour of putting it in the tank begins to drop down to its usual 7.8. What should I do?

I know I have enough surface agitation as I have an mp10, ac70 and a skimmer all stirring up the water. I am thinking it may have to do with the fact that I live in a dorm and there is excess CO2 in the air due to the large number of people in a confined space?

[disc1]

So my tank has been up and running for about a month now. Fully cycled and beginning the stocking process. However, I seem to be running into one issue, maintaining a stable pH above 8.2. I've added a buffer that raises it temporarily but within an hour of putting it in the tank begins to drop down to its usual 7.8. What should I do?

What is your alkalinity?

That buffer raises alkalinity. The pH effect is always temporary. The higher you jack your alkalinity up, the harder it's going to be to make any change in pH.

I know I have enough surface agitation as I have an mp10, ac70 and a skimmer all stirring up the water. I am thinking it may have to do with the fact that I live in a dorm and there is excess CO2 in the air due to the large number of people in a confined space?

I suspect your thinking is correct.

[nyknicks4412]

I am not sure what my alkalinity is at but I could get a test kit to find out...I will stop dosing the buffer until I can test the alkalinity. Tried opening up the window near the tank to see if that will help. Would a fan blowing across the top be beneficial? Anything I can add to my ATO that would help?

[danil]

If you worry about CO2 you can try get outside air into your skimmer. Many reported some improvement with this approach. On the other hand PH is not so important if you monitor your alkalinity. I would try to keep alkalinity and calcium stable and don't worry much about ph. One thing for sure - you shouldn't try to adjust PH level with buffer. As you correctly noticed its useless and even might lead to tank crush if you push you alk too high. You can look into using Kalk or two parts (recipe two) both will help with your low ph in a balanced way.

[nyknicks4412]

If you worry about CO2 you can try get outside air into your skimmer. Many reported some improvement with this approach. On the other hand PH is not so important if you monitor your alkalinity. I would try to keep alkalinity and calcium stable and don't worry much about ph. One thing for sure - you shouldn't try to adjust PH level with buffer. As you correctly noticed its useless and even might lead to tank crush if you push you alk too high. You can look into using Kalk or two parts (recipe two) both will help with your low ph in a balanced way.

Would putting Kalk in my ATO water help maintain a stable PH? Or would adding Two Part to it be more beneficial? Or should I purchase some sort of dosing pump?

Sorry for all the questions guys! When it comes to reef chemistry beyond the basic stuff I am lost. Willing to read if someone has a good link. My tank is a 10 gallon nano so idk how I would go about dosing something so small!

[seapug]

You really need to test and find out your actual calcium, alkalinity and magnesium levels before you get too wrapped up in chasing your pH up and down.

[nyknicks4412]

You really need to test and find out your actual calcium, alkalinity and magnesium levels before you get too wrapped up in chasing your pH up and down.

I am going to purchase the red sea test kits from BRS to do just this! I am part of a group buy so it'll definitely be worth it. Anything else I should think about purchasing to dose with or should I wait and test and then dose when I know what I need more clearly.

[Palting]

10 gallon nan. My goodness, that IS a challenge to keep stable.

Dose with an eyedropper!! No, I'm kiding. But maybe not :).

Before dosing anything, you need to have the appropriate tests for it. If you are considering dosing Kalk, 2 part, buffers, etc, you need precision tests for Alk, calcium and magnesium. I would suggest Salifert, or the Red Sea Pro, where you measure by titrating drops rather then comparing colors on a chart.

Just as an aside, pH normally fluctuates, and is not really a good test to asses tank health. It's usually lowest just before the lights come on, and highest just before the lights go out. 7.8 is not bad.

Here a link for you to read about tank parameters and their maintenance. Remember, though, you MUST have the appropriate test kits before you start dosing anything.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

And then the mother of all links, everything about reef chemistry. Happy reading!!
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/subject/chemistry.php

EDIT: I see you are ordering the RedSea kits. Make sure it's the PRO version, measure by titration, rather than the color chart regular version.

[nyknicks4412]

10 gallon nan. My goodness, that IS a challenge to keep stable.

Dose with an eyedropper!! No, I'm kiding. But maybe not :).

Before dosing anything, you need to have the appropriate tests for it. If you are considering dosing Kalk, 2 part, buffers, etc, you need precision tests for Alk, calcium and magnesium. I would suggest Salifert, or the Red Sea Pro, where you measure by titrating drops rather then comparing colors on a chart.

Just as an aside, pH normally fluctuates, and is not really a good test to asses tank health. It's usually lowest just before the lights come on, and highest just before the lights go out. 7.8 is not bad.

Here a link for you to read about tank parameters and their maintenance. Remember, though, you MUST have the appropriate test kits before you start dosing anything.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

And then the mother of all links, everything about reef chemistry. Happy reading!!
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/subject/chemistry.php

EDIT: I see you are ordering the RedSea kits. Make sure it's the PRO version, measure by titration, rather than the color chart regular version.

Yep it is the pro kit! I am definitely going to get to reading those posts thanks a ton. I opened up a window and saw a rise in the pH but I am not sure if it was because of the buffer I added earlier in the day or not. We'll see if the open window can maintain it.