high pH

[nyreefer]

Hello,
My pH and Alk are high (8.8 and ~11). Should I add a pH reducer, water changes do not seem to decrease the pH. I am using RO/DI water from the lab I work in. All other levels seems to be good. Thanks.

 

[attml]

Is the 11 for Alk measured in dkh or meq/l ? If it is dkh then you are fine. I keep mine between 10 -12 dkh for my SPS tank and that is considered a good range. Any Idea what is causing the high PH? Are you dripping Kalk? If so, you may have to dilute your solution a little more or slow your drip rate. Here is a great article on PH. Some of it is a little technical but it is very informative and gives you a solution to your problem! Good luck!!
http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2002/chem.htm

 

[nyreefer]

I am not dripping Kalk or adding any supplements, I have no idea what is causing the high pH. The RO/DI water I use for changes has a pH close to 7. The only thing I can imagine is that my base rock is increasing the pH. I have about 20lb of base and 20lbs of LR. I read the article at advancedaquarist but am still confused.

 

[attml]

Some more tank info would be helpful (size, inhabitants, how long it has been set up?) I know that this is going to sound stupid but do you definitely have a saltwater PH test kit? You may want to try another (different brand) test kit to ensure your levels are high. If they are, then you may want to add a little bit of vinegar at a time over a few days to get your PH down so that you don't have a drastic change. The high PH is probably stressing your inhabitants a little (which will worsen over time) but a large, quick PH swing would be very stressful!
BTW - Welcome to the board!

 

[nyreefer]

Attml,
Thanks for the advice with the vinegar. Right now I have a 55g with LR, snails and a tomato clown. The fish seems fine but I have had 2 snails die. The tank has been up for about 5 months and seems to be doing great other than the pH. I have used 2 different kits to confirm the pH.

 

[attml]

You are welcome! Just add the vinegar (in small quanities) very slowly over the course of a few days until you get it in the 8.1-8.3 range (then keep an eye on it). Add it to a high flow area and make sure you test your readings about an hour after adding the vinegar to see if the PH is coming down. Good luck!

 

[cmack]

Just curious, What brand of Salt mix are you using?
When I first set up my tank, I used "Reef Crystals", and My PH was always 8.6-8.8
It was suggested for me to change salt mix, I now use "Instant Ocean", and my PH has been at 8.3-8.5 for the past year.
Broomer had done some research on this and posted results to the board, my original thread is
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/46724/ph-too-high
The link with the Saltmix PH info is in that thread.. maybe that will help you too.

 

[nyreefer]

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out. I am currently using Instant Ocean. I will test the pH of the water before adding it to my tank the next time I do a water change.