Ph Reduction

[bang guy]

That was very interesting information regarding PH, this is exactly what I was looking for. Unfortunately I still am fuzzy on the links of other factors to balance PH, I guess I mean to say what has the most impact on PH and the 2nd and 3rd factors to look at when PH is out of balance.

In my experience the following are the reasons for low PH in order of frequency:

1 - Excess CO2
2 - Metabolic acids released from decomposing organics
3 - Low Alkalinity

Regarding CO2 is there an instrument or method aquarists use to test for this.

Grab a glass of tank water and test the PH immediately. Take the glass outside for 10 - 15 minutes then test PH again. If the ph rises significantly then there is excess CO2 in the tank water.

 

[silverado61]

My return to the sump is set up like filling a glass being filled by at a faucet, water dumps into the sump from above. (this is covered though to keep splashing down)

Is your entire sump covered or just the chamber where water dumps into the sump? If the entire sump is covered your not getting enough air circulation in the sump and could be a contributing factor to the rise in Co2. Try wrapping a piece of filter floss around the tube/pipe so that it hangs like a skirt about a half inch above the water line. It's what I did. Just use a rubber band to attach it, that way you can change or clean the floss once a month. This will cut down on the splashing a great deal and still get increased aeration. Then you can leave the sump uncovered for better circulation.