pH low calcium high

[ed84g]

I have a reef aquarium and have recently been adding to increase calcium levels and have noticed that since i have been doing this the pH level has dropped.

My calcium now sits at 480 (is this a little high?) and pH has gone from 8.3 to 7.8.

I have read that increasing calcium levels can lower pH. What would be the recommended level for calcium and if i let calcium levels drop would this then cause the pH to take care of itself? if so how long could i expect this to take?

Im asking because i don't really want to supplement to correct the pH if i don't have to.

Thanks

[bnumair]

480 is on the higher end for me. i like it 380-440 range. also check alk i bet its low. driving alk up to 9-11 range will also raise the ph in return. also air out the area and it will also help with increasing ph.

[disc1]

What have you been adding to increase calcium?

Calcium doesn't really have any effect on pH levels by itself, but raising calcium can cause a drop in alkalinity if some of the extra calcium is precipitating on sand or rocks or wherever.

Low pH is a sign of high CO2 concentrations if alkalinity isn't low. Low alkalinity makes it easier to change the pH of the water, so it takes less CO2 to drop it. So it is still a CO2 issue, but being exacerbated by the low alkalinity.

[ed84g]

I was using Red Sea ABC to raise levels of a couple of things. The area doesn't really get good airflow and it is quite near the garage door where we park 2 cars. Im thinking that could be a cause as well in that case because last time i checked cars produce CO2 and up until 2 weeks ago we only had 1 car parked in there which fits in with the first time i noticed the pH drop!!

I might leave some windows open tonight. How long would you think it could take to fix the issue that way if it is a cause? Are we talking hours, days or weeks?

[bertoni]

Three hours or so of aeration probably should give you a reasonable idea.

[ed84g]

Thanks :) ill give it a go tonight and see what happens!