HIGH ph
- Thread starter dad
- Start date
shoreliner11
Active Member
Sounds like your ro unit is somehow causing the high pH. This could also be why your calcium is low. If the pH goes to high any calcium additives will precip. out. IMO i would use a pH buffer to bring it back down for a quick fix. 8.8 is really high...most organisms like it around 8.2/8.3. Not quite sure why its that high...so here's a bump for ya. Good luck
dad
Active Member
Hey Kip,
Yep things are crazy for sure.
I tested my r/o water and it is 8.0.
I tested it with a meter and a test kit to make sure one of them was not off.
I am stopping the kalk mix until I get the ph levels down.
I did change the fuge lighting today to a RDP as you suggested.
I also did add three gallons of kalk mix yesterday and last night. I had it mixed and hated to waste it.
It was only two teaspoons to 3 gallons dripped on a 24hr rate.
I hate to say it but: We are missing something here.
Maybe it is the r/o water testing at 8.0?
If i remember right it used to test at 6.5.
I use a tds meter on it and the levels are fine. Maybe the tds meter is wrong?
I am going to change all the filters tomarrow and test again.
But would this raise my ph to that level of 8.8 using r/o water of 8.0?
Yep things are crazy for sure.
I tested my r/o water and it is 8.0.
I tested it with a meter and a test kit to make sure one of them was not off.
I am stopping the kalk mix until I get the ph levels down.
I did change the fuge lighting today to a RDP as you suggested.
I also did add three gallons of kalk mix yesterday and last night. I had it mixed and hated to waste it.
It was only two teaspoons to 3 gallons dripped on a 24hr rate.
I hate to say it but: We are missing something here.
Maybe it is the r/o water testing at 8.0?
If i remember right it used to test at 6.5.
I use a tds meter on it and the levels are fine. Maybe the tds meter is wrong?
I am going to change all the filters tomarrow and test again.
But would this raise my ph to that level of 8.8 using r/o water of 8.0?
neoreef
Member
Originally posted by dad
Yep things are crazy for sure.
I tested my r/o water and it is 8.0.
...
I am stopping the kalk mix until I get the ph levels down.
...
I also did add three gallons of kalk mix yesterday and last night. I had it mixed and hated to waste it.
It was only two teaspoons to 3 gallons dripped on a 24hr rate.
I hate to say it but: We are missing something here.
Maybe it is the r/o water testing at 8.0?
...
But would this raise my ph to that level of 8.8 using r/o water of 8.0?
I would have wasted the kalk mix.
Kalk is very basic (high pH) and will raise your pH. You are nicely buffered, but you added OH- ions in an already OH- ion loaded RO water. It is just too much base for your buffer to absorb.
The RO water should not be pH8. It was a good idea to measure that, and now you gotta fix it.
If you can, you might want to leave the lights off today, so your fish can respirate some CO2 without it being taken up by the photosynthetic plant organisms. CO2 will help to acidify the tank and absorb some of that excess base.
Unfortunately, at high pH, Ca cannot stay in solution too well. That may be why your Ca is less than ideal.
You may want to get the pH lowered , and then add a CaCl part of B-iionic, or whatever brand name you use, to raise the Calcium.
After you get the pH, calcium and alkalinity just right, then it would make sense to go back to the kalk dripping at lights off.
Just my opinion.
Best of luck,
Kathy
dad
Active Member
Sorry to be such a PAIN, 
I think I understand what is going on so if I am wrong please let me know.
My ph is high in my tank. This is the reason why my calcium is so low. The reason my ph level is so high is because my top off water and water change water has been of a high ph of 8.0 due to a bad membrane in my r/o system.
This is also the reason my kalk drips has not been helping due to it is not mixing with the r/o water?
That would explain the high level of sedative in the bottom of the kalk-r/o water mix.
I raised the magnisium levels with no problems.
Am I on the right track here?
I think I understand what is going on so if I am wrong please let me know.
My ph is high in my tank. This is the reason why my calcium is so low. The reason my ph level is so high is because my top off water and water change water has been of a high ph of 8.0 due to a bad membrane in my r/o system.
This is also the reason my kalk drips has not been helping due to it is not mixing with the r/o water?
That would explain the high level of sedative in the bottom of the kalk-r/o water mix.
I raised the magnisium levels with no problems.
Am I on the right track here?
neoreef
Member
You are not a pain, and this stuff is confusing, so don't feel bad.
Your pH is high. Your calcium is lowish. Kalk does not help that, because it is a concetrated solution with high pH and calcium. Dripping kalk dilutes the high pH in your tank water, and keeps the already high pH, high.
Keeping your saltwater tank in a high pH will not allow the Calcium to stay in solution with all the other salts in your tank water.
Calcium will stay in solution in kalk/RO water at high concentrations and high pH because there are not salts and other ions in the RO water that combine with the calcium there. As soon as you drip into your tank, it is another story.
Your kalk/RO water has sediment in it because it is a saturated solution, and some of the calcium hydroxide cannot be in solution. That is the sediment you see in the bottom of your kalk/RO mix. (never put that sediment or the precipitate at the top into your tank:nope: )
In your case, if your RO water, without the kalk mixed in, is pH8, then you have something coming thru in the RO making that high pH, and so your RO isn't really RO water. Time to change the filters? I dont' have rO setup, so I am not experienced in their maintainance.
Nor can I spell.
good luck.
Your pH is high. Your calcium is lowish. Kalk does not help that, because it is a concetrated solution with high pH and calcium. Dripping kalk dilutes the high pH in your tank water, and keeps the already high pH, high.
Keeping your saltwater tank in a high pH will not allow the Calcium to stay in solution with all the other salts in your tank water.
Calcium will stay in solution in kalk/RO water at high concentrations and high pH because there are not salts and other ions in the RO water that combine with the calcium there. As soon as you drip into your tank, it is another story.
Your kalk/RO water has sediment in it because it is a saturated solution, and some of the calcium hydroxide cannot be in solution. That is the sediment you see in the bottom of your kalk/RO mix. (never put that sediment or the precipitate at the top into your tank:nope: )
In your case, if your RO water, without the kalk mixed in, is pH8, then you have something coming thru in the RO making that high pH, and so your RO isn't really RO water. Time to change the filters? I dont' have rO setup, so I am not experienced in their maintainance.
Nor can I spell.
good luck.
brooklyn johnny
Active Member
Hey dad... I'll offer what I can here...
First off, is your alk reading of 3.6 is in meq/L? I imagine it is, but wanted to make sure it's not dkh.
I strongly recommend a pH monitor, especially for those who drip kalk. The Pinpoint pH monitor is just around $80 and will continuosly give you your pH reading down to two decimal points. With this, you could see your pH trends of your tank on a regular basis and be able to note when something is wrong, as high or low pH is a side affect of many circumstances. Before I ran Nilsen reactors, my meter registered above 9.0 a couple of times when kalk was dripped to fast or at too high a volume.
I personally believe that taking the pH of RO water is useless. When place my pH meter in my RO/DI water it is all over the place due to the purity of the water. What is the tds reading of your RO water?
Your alkalinity is fine assuming it's at 3.6 meq/L. Your calcium is very low. I would stop using the kalk for now and see where your pH goes. When you resume I would start with a diluted solution of kalk at something like 1/4 teaspoon per gallon and work your way up from there as you monitor pH and levels.
However, put the kalk on hold for now. Do not add any buffer, as this will further bring your alkalinity up while leaving your low calcium unaffected. On top of that buffers have the short term affect of raising pH just as kalk does.
What you need in order to bring your calcium up while leaving everything else unaffected is calcium chloride. This is the "Part B" of most two part buffer/calcium additives including B-ionic. Also, Kent makes "Liquid calcium" or "Turbo calcium", with the difference being one is liquid and one a powder. That is all I would use in small amounts for now while testing regularly.
As levels fall closer in line you could resume kalkwasser, but I suspect your tank is not heavily stocked and will not require that strong a solution of kalkwasser. I always recommend to those starting with kalkwasser that they begin with a more dilute solution, and a pH meter is a great $80 spent...
I hope that helps...
First off, is your alk reading of 3.6 is in meq/L? I imagine it is, but wanted to make sure it's not dkh.
I strongly recommend a pH monitor, especially for those who drip kalk. The Pinpoint pH monitor is just around $80 and will continuosly give you your pH reading down to two decimal points. With this, you could see your pH trends of your tank on a regular basis and be able to note when something is wrong, as high or low pH is a side affect of many circumstances. Before I ran Nilsen reactors, my meter registered above 9.0 a couple of times when kalk was dripped to fast or at too high a volume.
I personally believe that taking the pH of RO water is useless. When place my pH meter in my RO/DI water it is all over the place due to the purity of the water. What is the tds reading of your RO water?
Your alkalinity is fine assuming it's at 3.6 meq/L. Your calcium is very low. I would stop using the kalk for now and see where your pH goes. When you resume I would start with a diluted solution of kalk at something like 1/4 teaspoon per gallon and work your way up from there as you monitor pH and levels.
However, put the kalk on hold for now. Do not add any buffer, as this will further bring your alkalinity up while leaving your low calcium unaffected. On top of that buffers have the short term affect of raising pH just as kalk does.
What you need in order to bring your calcium up while leaving everything else unaffected is calcium chloride. This is the "Part B" of most two part buffer/calcium additives including B-ionic. Also, Kent makes "Liquid calcium" or "Turbo calcium", with the difference being one is liquid and one a powder. That is all I would use in small amounts for now while testing regularly.
As levels fall closer in line you could resume kalkwasser, but I suspect your tank is not heavily stocked and will not require that strong a solution of kalkwasser. I always recommend to those starting with kalkwasser that they begin with a more dilute solution, and a pH meter is a great $80 spent...
I hope that helps...
dad
Active Member
OK, Maybe you guys can help me with this: I mailed the company that sold me the r/o unit asking for a new membrane.
This is there response
"The membranes are good for appox 6 years, so it should be OK.
Test the water right after the RO and after the DI...pure water has a 7.0 ph factor...by definition...if you are not there or close to there after the DI I will be surprise...you are getting throw off from the final carbon..."
I know nothing about these things at all. I do have a tds meter and it tested the r/o water at 46. This is not perfect but is it that bad? I do have all new filters but did not think I needed to yet?
:help:
This is there response
"The membranes are good for appox 6 years, so it should be OK.
Test the water right after the RO and after the DI...pure water has a 7.0 ph factor...by definition...if you are not there or close to there after the DI I will be surprise...you are getting throw off from the final carbon..."
I know nothing about these things at all. I do have a tds meter and it tested the r/o water at 46. This is not perfect but is it that bad? I do have all new filters but did not think I needed to yet?
:help:
C
crm13
Guest
Do you think that whatever you are testing pH with is errant? How can rodi water test that high? I would think that even if all the filters were bad, including the membrane, it still wouldn't read as high as 8.:notsure: