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View Full Version : Low pH with gas stove


feh
04/21/2012, 06:32 PM
I have been noticing my pH seems to drop when cooking and stays low for the rest of the day afterwards. I have a gas stove. With summer coming up I'm looking for a way to get better o2 levels. I'm pretty certain the drops are from co2 or gas exchange related because I can open the window and in a couple hours the pH is back up anywhere from 8.15 to 8.2. Soda lime is not an expense I'd like to see added. The tank is near a window, but with summer coming I don't see the option of opening windows for much longer. The pH isn't dropping super low but I don't think I should be seeing a pH of 7.8 in the middle of the day.

Anyone have any suggestions on how to resolve this without using soda lime in a scrubber?

bertoni
04/21/2012, 06:37 PM
The carbon dioxide from the stove will lower the pH. 7.8 isn't all that bad, and I wouldn't worry much, although a lime drip or limewater as ATO might help. That's about the best I can suggest.

feh
04/21/2012, 06:42 PM
I'm already dosing 2 part which is still maintaining things quite well so far, just don't want to jack up my Alk /Ca to maintain pH. I wondering if there is some way to get fresh air to the tank some way. Its not so much the pH I'm worried about as it is the gas exchange.

Randy Holmes-Farley
04/21/2012, 06:59 PM
Limewater is a year round option for raising pH. :)

But O2 is not getting noticeably low just because CO2 is rising. There is a ton of O2 around and not much CO2, so you can double the CO2 and drop pH by a lot without a noticeable drop in atmospheric O2.

feh
04/21/2012, 07:07 PM
Limewater is a year round option for raising pH. :)

But O2 is not getting noticeably low just because CO2 is rising. There is a ton of O2 around and not much CO2, so you can double the CO2 and drop pH by a lot without a noticeable drop in atmospheric O2.

Thanks.

aleonn
04/21/2012, 10:42 PM
Since you're near a window, you can run an airline from the skimmer to the window (you can keep it almost completely closed).