Cant Get Ph Up
- Thread starter h2oluvr
- Start date
aquaknight
Active Member
What exactly is included under "everything else?"
What are the levels exactly for calcium and alkalinity (or carbonate hardness, depending what your test kit calls it)?
What are the levels exactly for calcium and alkalinity (or carbonate hardness, depending what your test kit calls it)?
king_neptune
Active Member
you running a skimmer?
perhaps consider something that causes better gas exchange with the surface a power head at the surface in the sump pointing downward to create turbulence might help.
perhaps consider something that causes better gas exchange with the surface a power head at the surface in the sump pointing downward to create turbulence might help.
lighteningthes
Member
Mine is 7.8 so don't feel bad. Even if I add PH up stuff, still stays at 7.8 and before the masses go running off saying your kit is bad I have used 4 different ones all with the same result. That is with Instant Ocean brand salt and ***** brand salt with RO/DI water. I think we are going to try Kent next to see what we can get.
cajonez
Member
I had had a problem with pH in my tank for about the first 2 months, I couldn't get over 7.8. I added a HOB protein skimmer and it has been good ever since then. Before the skimmer I had a thick layer of oily substance on the top of the water, I am guessing that was affecting the gas exchange.
trouble93
Member
Originally Posted by H2OLUVR
http:///forum/post/3115564
MY PH IS AT 7.6 AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS GOOD BUT THAT...HELP
Do you add your water change water just after mixing it? Set your water up a few days before you do a water change. add a heater and and power head. This should test out at about 8.0 to 8.2 and if you are doing weekly water changes it will come up.
http:///forum/post/3115564
MY PH IS AT 7.6 AND EVERYTHING ELSE IS GOOD BUT THAT...HELP
Do you add your water change water just after mixing it? Set your water up a few days before you do a water change. add a heater and and power head. This should test out at about 8.0 to 8.2 and if you are doing weekly water changes it will come up.
adurost
Member
Don't mean to hijack your thread, but I am having a similar low pH problem in my QT tank (currently occupied by a small blue tang & a cleaner wrasse).
I tested the water this am: pH 7.8, Ammonia .50, Nitrites 1.0, and Nitrates 40. I have mixed & aerated SW ready to go and I plan to do a partial water change & clean detrius off the tank bottom in a little bit. I'm using a HOB Whisper power filter. Should I try to raise the pH with a buffer or will it go up by itself when the Amm/ites/ates drop back down? Can I use API pH Up (their website says it is for freshwater)? (BTW, the pH was at 8.2 before I put the fish in the QT last weekend).
I tested the water this am: pH 7.8, Ammonia .50, Nitrites 1.0, and Nitrates 40. I have mixed & aerated SW ready to go and I plan to do a partial water change & clean detrius off the tank bottom in a little bit. I'm using a HOB Whisper power filter. Should I try to raise the pH with a buffer or will it go up by itself when the Amm/ites/ates drop back down? Can I use API pH Up (their website says it is for freshwater)? (BTW, the pH was at 8.2 before I put the fish in the QT last weekend).
adurost
Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/3118382
Before even starting to give any advice we need to know the levels of Calcium, Alkalinity, and waterflow. Blindly adding a buffer could cause further problems. It could be as simple as an undersized skimmer.
The tank in question is a 10 gal QT. I am using an AquaTech 5-15 Power Filter (rated for 100 gph), and I don't test for Calcium or Alkalinity as I my DT is a FOWLR not a Reef Tank. Sorry for my ignorance, but I wanted to clarify your previous post about the pH increasing with regular water changes with regard to my tank's specific circumstances.
I think my question about the use of pH Up in SW vs FW confused the issue and probably should have been asked in a separate thread.
http:///forum/post/3118382
Before even starting to give any advice we need to know the levels of Calcium, Alkalinity, and waterflow. Blindly adding a buffer could cause further problems. It could be as simple as an undersized skimmer.
The tank in question is a 10 gal QT. I am using an AquaTech 5-15 Power Filter (rated for 100 gph), and I don't test for Calcium or Alkalinity as I my DT is a FOWLR not a Reef Tank. Sorry for my ignorance, but I wanted to clarify your previous post about the pH increasing with regular water changes with regard to my tank's specific circumstances.
I think my question about the use of pH Up in SW vs FW confused the issue and probably should have been asked in a separate thread.
trouble93
Member
Originally Posted by adurost
http:///forum/post/3118376
Don't mean to hijack your thread, but I am having a similar low pH problem in my QT tank (currently occupied by a small blue tang & a cleaner wrasse).
I tested the water this am: pH 7.8, Ammonia .50, Nitrites 1.0, and Nitrates 40. I have mixed & aerated SW ready to go and I plan to do a partial water change & clean detrius off the tank bottom in a little bit. I'm using a HOB Whisper power filter. Should I try to raise the pH with a buffer or will it go up by itself when the Amm/ites/ates drop back down? Can I use API pH Up (their website says it is for freshwater)? (BTW, the pH was at 8.2 before I put the fish in the QT last weekend).
Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates it sounds like ph is not the only problem how long has this tank been set up?
http:///forum/post/3118376
Don't mean to hijack your thread, but I am having a similar low pH problem in my QT tank (currently occupied by a small blue tang & a cleaner wrasse).
I tested the water this am: pH 7.8, Ammonia .50, Nitrites 1.0, and Nitrates 40. I have mixed & aerated SW ready to go and I plan to do a partial water change & clean detrius off the tank bottom in a little bit. I'm using a HOB Whisper power filter. Should I try to raise the pH with a buffer or will it go up by itself when the Amm/ites/ates drop back down? Can I use API pH Up (their website says it is for freshwater)? (BTW, the pH was at 8.2 before I put the fish in the QT last weekend).
Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates it sounds like ph is not the only problem how long has this tank been set up?
adurost
Member
Originally Posted by trouble93
http:///forum/post/3118424
Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates it sounds like ph is not the only problem how long has this tank been set up?
It is a bare bottom 10 gal QT tank that I set up 3 weeks ago using water from the DT. pH was 8.2, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20 prior to putting fish in tank last Saturday. I expected a spike because of the increased biolode, but not the drop in pH.
http:///forum/post/3118424
Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates it sounds like ph is not the only problem how long has this tank been set up?
It is a bare bottom 10 gal QT tank that I set up 3 weeks ago using water from the DT. pH was 8.2, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20 prior to putting fish in tank last Saturday. I expected a spike because of the increased biolode, but not the drop in pH.
bang guy
Moderator
Originally Posted by NigerBang
http:///forum/post/3118419
Skimmers dont add as much oxygen into the water as people would like to believe..
I don't believe the amount of dissolved oxygen has any effect on PH.
http:///forum/post/3118419
Skimmers dont add as much oxygen into the water as people would like to believe..
I don't believe the amount of dissolved oxygen has any effect on PH.
bang guy
Moderator
Originally Posted by adurost
http:///forum/post/3118423
I think my question about the use of pH Up in SW vs FW confused the issue and probably should have been asked in a separate thread.
It's possibly related to the OP.
PH Up is an Alkalinity additive. If Alkalinity is low then it could be the cause of a low PH. If Alkalinity isn't low then PH Up will only raise the PH for a day or so and will not help the problem. Think of low PH as a symptom. It can be caused by many things and if you don't find out what the actual problem is then you're just treating the symptom and could cause an imbalance in your water parameters.
http:///forum/post/3118423
I think my question about the use of pH Up in SW vs FW confused the issue and probably should have been asked in a separate thread.
It's possibly related to the OP.
PH Up is an Alkalinity additive. If Alkalinity is low then it could be the cause of a low PH. If Alkalinity isn't low then PH Up will only raise the PH for a day or so and will not help the problem. Think of low PH as a symptom. It can be caused by many things and if you don't find out what the actual problem is then you're just treating the symptom and could cause an imbalance in your water parameters.
trouble93
Member
Originally Posted by adurost
http:///forum/post/3118425
It is a bare bottom 10 gal QT tank that I set up 3 weeks ago using water from the DT. pH was 8.2, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20 prior to putting fish in tank last Saturday. I expected a spike because of the increased biolode, but not the drop in pH.
Might help if you did about 3gal WC with water that has been set up for 24hours or more.
http:///forum/post/3118425
It is a bare bottom 10 gal QT tank that I set up 3 weeks ago using water from the DT. pH was 8.2, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20 prior to putting fish in tank last Saturday. I expected a spike because of the increased biolode, but not the drop in pH.
Might help if you did about 3gal WC with water that has been set up for 24hours or more.
nigerbang
Active Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/3118428
I don't believe the amount of dissolved oxygen has any effect on PH.
Word... I misread a post above.
http:///forum/post/3118428
I don't believe the amount of dissolved oxygen has any effect on PH.
Word... I misread a post above.