help with my ph

evanjah

evanjah

Member
ok guys i have all my parameters so you dont have to ask, lol. I cant get my ph to raise. I have buffers and stuff, plus my calcium is high. Everything in tank looks ok though.
Salinity 1.026
calcium is well above 500
alk 9 dkh
ph 7.7
nitrate 5ppm
phos 0
amm 0
temp 80
any suggestions besides getting my calcium lower?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by evanjah
http:///forum/post/3217836
ok guys i have all my parameters so you dont have to ask, lol. I cant get my ph to raise. I have buffers and stuff, plus my calcium is high. Everything in tank looks ok though.
Salinity 1.026
calcium is well above 500
alk 9 dkh
ph 7.7
nitrate 5ppm
phos 0
amm 0
temp 80
any suggestions besides getting my calcium lower?

If all looks good...double triple check your PH test, because it is way to low for things to look good.
I had a low PH problem. I now dose my RO top off water with Alk. buffer, problem solved.
 
baloo6969

baloo6969

Member
Wow, that low even for a swing...
What kind of test kit r u using?
How old is the testkit?
R u using a saltwater color chart?
What time are u testing?
When are the main lamps on?
Do u have a fuge light, or any other light? If so, when r they
 
adams

adams

Member
I was told my PH was just too low to put any fish in yet (as I'm a beginner) how do I make it the right PH?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Think of PH as a symptom. In a healthy tank the PH will average between 8.0 and 8.5
If something is wrong then the PH can drop or rise outside of that range. The idea isn't to fix the PH, you need to find out what is causeing the errant PH and fix the real problem.
If it's a very new tank then metabolic acids from decaying organic matter commonly causes low PH. If that's the cause then large water changes, cleaning mechanical filters and removing detritus will fix the problem.
Often it's just an excess of CO2. This can be caused by high CO2 in the room air, a malfunctioning skimmer, or insufficiant waterflow.
 
adams

adams

Member
mmm, I did a water change last week to lower my salinity, I've had Shrimp in since last Tuesday, any of them cause a decrease in PH?
 
adams

adams

Member
mm I don't understand why my PH would be lower than normal,
Must of been after the Cleaner Shrimp going in as the water was perfect before they went in!
 
xcali1985

xcali1985

Active Member
Bang guy has it right, so many people panic and don't study the chemistry of pH. pH in itself is a measurement of chemicals in you water. Including oxygen, calcium, magnesium, alk, etc. So by finding which one or groups are off you can correct your pH. Simply using a buffer will not help in the long term maintenance of a tank.
This is one of the reasons people tell others not to purchase corals and some inverts before a certain timeline with the tank. Its not particularly the actual tank, but a lot of the times it just basically gives the hobbyist time to learn how to care for his/her tank, establish good maintenance skills etc.
 
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