alk and ph problem
- Thread starter joncat24
- Start date
L
lbaskball
Guest
joncat i have also had this problem and have posted many things. It seems whenever you try to adjust the ph, the calcium goes does or the alk shoots very high. I am too frustrated. I heard if you want your ph to go up slightly higher, make sure its getting air inside the tank. Maybe leaving the hood open or something. I am still working out my tank.
joncat24
Active Member
i tested twice already top be sure. I added a dose of a+b buffer (kent). will retest in the am and see where it is and go from there.
thats the only thing I can think of, short of another water change. The reason I say water change is due to the nitrates, which are also out of whack all of the sudden :notsure: :notsure:
thats the only thing I can think of, short of another water change. The reason I say water change is due to the nitrates, which are also out of whack all of the sudden :notsure: :notsure:
earlybird
Active Member
Shouldn't need to buffer for pH but instead maintaining alk and ca levels to get pH right.
"Alkalinity of a solution refers to its capacity to buffer against drops in
pH. Higher alkalinity affords greater ability to prevent rapid pH
swings... 'carbonate hardness' has been used to describe alkalinity, but
this refers only to the carbonate and bicarbonate portions of alkalinity
and does not take into consideration the other compounds involved.
Therefore alkalinity is generally slightly higher than carbonate hardness."
(Delbeek, Spotte)
Not sure of the conversion of ppm of kh but alk should be 8 to 11 dKH or 2.86 to 3.89 meq/L. Are you dosing kalk?
"Alkalinity of a solution refers to its capacity to buffer against drops in
pH. Higher alkalinity affords greater ability to prevent rapid pH
swings... 'carbonate hardness' has been used to describe alkalinity, but
this refers only to the carbonate and bicarbonate portions of alkalinity
and does not take into consideration the other compounds involved.
Therefore alkalinity is generally slightly higher than carbonate hardness."
(Delbeek, Spotte)
Not sure of the conversion of ppm of kh but alk should be 8 to 11 dKH or 2.86 to 3.89 meq/L. Are you dosing kalk?
bang guy
Moderator
The Alkalinity is a bit low. Try using baking soda to raise it up to at least 150ppm, 175 at the most.
This will see if it's just the low ALK causing the low PH. If PH is still low for a few days after getting the Alkalinity up then write back and we'll go from there.
Also, if you could, test PH in the morning before the lights come on and again in the evening before the lights go off and post those here.
This will see if it's just the low ALK causing the low PH. If PH is still low for a few days after getting the Alkalinity up then write back and we'll go from there.
Also, if you could, test PH in the morning before the lights come on and again in the evening before the lights go off and post those here.
hatessushi
Active Member
You might want to check the magnesium levels also. If magnesium is low then your calcium and alk are hard to keep stable. The Mag level should be about 1250 or a bit higher.
I have had the same problem with my pH around 7.8 and determined that it really isn't a problem as long as it's fairly stable by about .1 point a day. Seawater runs from 7.8 in the open sea to 8.4 in reef area. I wanted mine higher but didn't want my alk to raise to much. I use baking soda about once a week. Once I put the baking soda in the pH goes down about .02 and then slowly making its way up from 7.8 to around 7.94. My Orp (Oxygen redux Potential) goes up also to around 329. Ideal Orp would be around 340 but is good to have a high Orp. If Orp is below 300 then there is a problem with the tank and can be dangerous to the fish if it stays that way.
Also Orp goes up at night since photosynthesis is not taking place whereas pH goes down at night but goes up during the day when photosynthesis is taking place.
I have had the same problem with my pH around 7.8 and determined that it really isn't a problem as long as it's fairly stable by about .1 point a day. Seawater runs from 7.8 in the open sea to 8.4 in reef area. I wanted mine higher but didn't want my alk to raise to much. I use baking soda about once a week. Once I put the baking soda in the pH goes down about .02 and then slowly making its way up from 7.8 to around 7.94. My Orp (Oxygen redux Potential) goes up also to around 329. Ideal Orp would be around 340 but is good to have a high Orp. If Orp is below 300 then there is a problem with the tank and can be dangerous to the fish if it stays that way.
Also Orp goes up at night since photosynthesis is not taking place whereas pH goes down at night but goes up during the day when photosynthesis is taking place.
bsd230
Member
Add Seachem reef buffer or Seachem marine buffer to your water when changing or dissolve in a cup of tank water before adding. Most of the time reef salts won't have enough to keep your ph 8.3 or dkh 8-12. I use marine buffer when I need to raise my ph and my alk and use reef buffer when I only need to raise my ph. You would be better off just using regular salt and using buffers. Reef salts in theory are nice but most reef tanks will need additional buffers to maintain stable ph/alk numbers. Your PH will also be higher in the evening than in the morning so take that into account when you are testing.
acrylic51
Active Member
Originally Posted by HatesSushi
You might want to check the magnesium levels also. If magnesium is low then your calcium and alk are hard to keep stable. The Mag level should be about 1250 or a bit higher.
I have had the same problem with my pH around 7.8 and determined that it really isn't a problem as long as it's fairly stable by about .1 point a day. Seawater runs from 7.8 in the open sea to 8.4 in reef area. I wanted mine higher but didn't want my alk to raise to much. I use baking soda about once a week. Once I put the baking soda in the pH goes down about .02 and then slowly making its way up from 7.8 to around 7.94. My Orp (Oxygen redux Potential) goes up also to around 329. Ideal Orp would be around 340 but is good to have a high Orp. If Orp is below 300 then there is a problem with the tank and can be dangerous to the fish if it stays that way.
Also Orp goes up at night since photosynthesis is not taking place whereas pH goes down at night but goes up during the day when photosynthesis is taking place.
Agree it's more about keeping it stable and the ole staple of 8.3 PH isn't needed.......My Ca is 450, Mag is 1300, Alk is 11, and PH stays around 8.22-8.25, and ORP is usually around 350-360.......
You might want to check the magnesium levels also. If magnesium is low then your calcium and alk are hard to keep stable. The Mag level should be about 1250 or a bit higher.
I have had the same problem with my pH around 7.8 and determined that it really isn't a problem as long as it's fairly stable by about .1 point a day. Seawater runs from 7.8 in the open sea to 8.4 in reef area. I wanted mine higher but didn't want my alk to raise to much. I use baking soda about once a week. Once I put the baking soda in the pH goes down about .02 and then slowly making its way up from 7.8 to around 7.94. My Orp (Oxygen redux Potential) goes up also to around 329. Ideal Orp would be around 340 but is good to have a high Orp. If Orp is below 300 then there is a problem with the tank and can be dangerous to the fish if it stays that way.
Also Orp goes up at night since photosynthesis is not taking place whereas pH goes down at night but goes up during the day when photosynthesis is taking place.
Agree it's more about keeping it stable and the ole staple of 8.3 PH isn't needed.......My Ca is 450, Mag is 1300, Alk is 11, and PH stays around 8.22-8.25, and ORP is usually around 350-360.......