ph again

col

col

Active Member
Still having problems getting my ph to rise.
Calcium 400
Magnesium 1300
Used kent super buffer (liquid ) and nothing happened really. Tried the kent powder and got the ph to 7.9 (from 7.7, no fluctuations) BUT.....
Alk is now way too high - off the chart.
Dunno what else to try. :notsure:
Going to let things settle for a while now, but why am I having so much trouble with ph?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
What are your PH measurements throughout the day?
Adding buffer to fix PH is always a bad idea. Low PH is mostly just a symptom of a problem but adding too much buffer can cause big problems.
 
col

col

Active Member
The plant life is non existent.
Ther is no ph swing really maybe .1
If I leave ph it stays at 7.7 - 7.8.
I was experimenting with buffer to see if I could get it anywhere near 8.1 - 8.3, but there is no chance of that.
7.7 cannot be good for anything but hardy fish?
 
tagg

tagg

Member

Originally posted by col
7.7 cannot be good for anything but hardy fish?
And ***** fish. Which I also found to be at 1.020 SG also. :mad:
 
broomer5

broomer5

Active Member
col,
Could you provide a little more information ?
Tank size
How long it's been set up
Circulation
Freshwater source
Number / type of fish
Filtration
Etc ...
And what brand of test kit or electronic pH monitor are you using ?
:)
 
rads

rads

New Member
1st have you had your pH tested with a different test kit? If not have that done.
2nd What is your Alk level? Alk and Ph play part in each others role.
3rd what type water are you using? (RO/DI, Tap water, Bottled)
ANy pH buffer you buy will increase your ALK level to dangerous levels, you can cause a reaction by adding Ca.
1 way to raise your pH with hardly raising your Alk level is by using Kalkwasser (pickling Lime). You must be carful since it can raise you Ca level to damaging levels if not done correctly.
I had same issues for a while I used 1g of RO/DI water and added 1 1/2 teaspoons of kalk to it then slowly dripped it in my tank after about 2 weeks my pH was finally up and my Alk was still coming down. For the last 6 months My pH stays at 8.2-8.4 my alk is usually 3.77-4.57 meg/L. I know dose about 1g of evaporation water with only 1 teaspoon of kalkwasser.
 
bwmichael21

bwmichael21

Member
correct me on this cause i may be wrong but due to the fact that pH is measured on a exponential scale you would want to gradually raise the pH from 7.7 to 8.3 as to not expose your inhabitants to a drastic change in alkalinity.
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member

Originally posted by col
The plant life is non existent.
Ther is no ph swing really maybe .1
If I leave ph it stays at 7.7 - 7.8.
I was experimenting with buffer to see if I could get it anywhere near 8.1 - 8.3, but there is no chance of that.
7.7 cannot be good for anything but hardy fish?
the reason you ph is low is you do not have plants. Reduce the co2 and the ph will rise. Get some macros or marine plants in you system.
Fish can adjust to low ph. But getting then aclimated fro a ph of 8.4 to 7.7 can be a big problem.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator

Originally posted by DevilBoy
correct me if i am wrong bang guy, but i am sure pH fluctuates throughout the day.... hence you want to check it the same time of the day
Yep. But I usually recommend testing more than once in the same day to obtain the PH range. Morning Noon & Night is ideal but Morning & Night should be adequate.
You want the PH to AVERAGE about 8.2, fluctuation is very normal.
 
col

col

Active Member
Thanks for replies, been away for a few days so I'm a little late in responding. Feel free to ask again if I've missed anything.
42 g
18 months
1 powerhead and fluval cannister for circulation (and filtration).
10kg L R (building it up, costs £££ here in UK)
Store bought RO
100w NO lighting
2 percs, bicolour blenny. YT damsel, R Gramma.
Using Hanna pinpoint ph meter which I calibrate regularly (daily if I want). Will verify this against a test kit soon.
ph was at 7.7 for over a year with FO, but I added polyps and mushrooms and these are struggling (could be lighting, that's for another day). It's now at 7.9 and doesn't change throuhghout day.
Alk is now high and off the scale so I'm letting everything settle befor trying anything else.
I had plenty of caulerpa in tank b4 but it was just a nuicanse and made no difference to ph.
 
col

col

Active Member
Kip
I normally change 5 gallon every 2 weeks but was in the process of changing this to every month.
Ca - 400
Alk - too high to measure at moment
Ph 8.0 (ish)
Since my last post I have actually broke the ph meter (aaaaagggghhhhhhh, more money - haven't told the missus yet!!). I wiil get hold of a ph test kit tomorrow and post results.
Before I added ph buffer my readings were always similar to:ph 7.8, cal 400 - 440, mag - 1300, alk 10 - 14.
 
col

col

Active Member
Thanks Kip, will give it a go.
NY Reefer - You'll get more replies if you start a new thread. As a start, I would change some water (your tank is cycled right?).
 
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