Ca/pH/Alk Balance

catawaba

catawaba

Active Member
Hi.
My Ca is 480-500ppm
My Total Alk is 4.5 mEq/L
My pH is 8.1
sg via refractometer is 1.025
Do I need to worry about increasing my pH?

i.e. add sodium bicarb or don't worry about it?
My ca and total alk are always high, but the pH seems to lag a bit. I don't like to add things to the tank.....
18-20x water turnover
sump, skimmer, 2lb/gal LR and 1.5lb/gal LS mixed reef
good airflow/gas exchange over tank and in home
regular RO/DI water changes: 10%/week
THANKS~
 
murph145

murph145

Active Member
well id be more concerned about ur Alk 4.5meq or 12.6dkh is on the high side IMO .... i like to keep levels between 8-9dkh or 2.8-3.2 meq levels higher than 11 IMO tend to lead to instability between CA/Alk and Ph
i would also lower ur Ca to around 400-450
if u r using addatives id hold off on them for a lil to let the Alk and Ca lower a bit
as far as Ph some tanks have lower Ph's than others depending on different factors...
in my situation my tanks Ph goes from a low of 7.75 in the morning to a hight of 8.1 in the evening when lights turn off.... my low Ph is due to the use of a Ca reactor which uses C02 causing excess CO2 build up in the water i try to compensate this a lil by venting my skimmer with fresh outside air... using a bubble stone in the reactor effulent chamber to help blow off Co2 and the use of a reverse light cycle refugium full of macro algaes
is the 8.1 at the end of ur light cycle?? if u measure b4 lights come on and after u will get different readings lights cause Ph to increase slowly
i wouldnt worry if ur corals and fish look happy then u should be ok
if Ph drops below 7.7 then i would consider buffering it up
 
catawaba

catawaba

Active Member
Thanks!
My Ca and Alk are always high....always.
I do not add anything in the way of supplements.
Yes, pH reading was near end of light cycle (but I do run a light on the fuge opposite the display lights) and it stays quite stable at 8.1.
Yes, everyone is happy and healthy and growing.
I keep waiting for the Ca/Alk to fall 'naturally' over time, but they never do.
(I read Mr. Bang Guy's post in the archives)
Guess I should be happy with stability??
 
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