PH keeps dropping!

mujtba

mujtba

Member
Ok here is what I use:
Tropic Marin salt
Essential elements kent
Iodine
PH Buffer
Kent Calcium liquid
Dose KALK with my top off water. Just started doing this past week...
Okay, so now after my water change, my PH is fine. By end of the week, the ph drops like hell. Also yesterday I noticed my PH was at like 8.5 and this morning, I checked and the PH was at 7.8!!!!!
Why is my PH so unstable?? how on EARTHHHH can I keep it balanced?????? my corals dont look healthy. what is the cause of this PH dropping??
I thought KALK should balance the PH and I wouldnt need buffer.
 
scotts

scotts

Active Member
First off pH changes in your tank from morning to the afternoon. In some cases quite dramatically so always take your pH readings at the same time of day. Second pH buffer does not raise the pH. Do a search about this, Bang did a thread about it a little bit ago, it might help you out.
HTH
Scott
 
mujtba

mujtba

Member
i use sand.. i cannot figure out for the life of me why the PH is messed up..
hmm, and no one else is replying so how did does everyone have perfect PH? :notsure:
 
mujtba

mujtba

Member
i just did my water change about 8 hours ago and my PH now is about 8.3. But i know by midweek or by tomorow morning, it will drop to like 7.8.
how on earth do i keep it stable? I have 500w MH. do u think that stronger lighting is messin it up?
i add KALK with top off and i put kent liquid calcium..
Bang plz save meee.. :nope:
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Calm down :)
Don't expect your PH to be the same in the morning a it was at night.
Take it in the morning, take it at night, then post the average.
 
golfish

golfish

Active Member

Originally posted by mujtba
i just did my water change about 8 hours ago and my PH now is about 8.3. But i know by midweek or by tomorow morning, it will drop to like 7.8.
how on earth do i keep it stable? I have 500w MH. do u think that stronger lighting is messin it up?
i add KALK with top off and i put kent liquid calcium..
Bang plz save meee.. :nope:
:D I don't think anybody can save you :D do you add kalk 24/7? what's the ALKKH of the tank?
 
mujtba

mujtba

Member
i only add kalk with my top off water. about 1/2 - 1 gallon a day.
i duno wat my ALK is.. how do i bring my ALK up?
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
Are you pouring in a 1/2 to a gallon of kalkwater at a time (top off)...?
That'll blow the top off the pH scale for a short time and then cause the tank to drop off to nothing as it pulls Ca and Alk out of balance...
Better to drip kalk slowly over a longer perod of time to avoid "shocking" system (and inhabitants) like that...
Which will also help "stabilize" (and overall raise) pH levels...
 
mujtba

mujtba

Member
yesterday when lights were on my PH was about 8.4 and this morning, it was 8.2.
BUT by midweek the mornings will read 7.8.
I just bought an automatic top off system. and I put my kalk in there. usually when it goes in the tank, its about a quart at a time. but my PH has been off for a long time and i just started putting kalk in last week.
i thought the kalk would have fixed it. i also got the top off system cuz everyone said you can mix kalk in your top off water and put it in the tank.. cuz i dont have a sump and i cant put a gravity bottol on top of my tank..
im assed out..
 
farmboy

farmboy

Active Member
..........calm down...........
....breath in through your nose.....
........out through your mouth.......
......go to your happy place........
RELAX you've come to the right place.
(and leave the donkeys out of this.)
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
You need an Alkalinity test kit. Your Limewater (Kalk + water) will add ALK to your tank but you need to test to see if it needs to be bumped up a little or if it's too high.
Relax, 7.8 isn't terrible.
Try to find a way to get your autotopoff to add smaller doses. A quart is a lot.
Get the test kit and use it.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
At the top of the forum is an "Informational Threads" post. do some reading in the "Water Parameters" section of the post.
 
lillibirdy

lillibirdy

Member
I bow to all the knowledge being imparted in this thread and the links you guys gave. I read them all, but now I am wondering if I am not going to be able to keep a marine tank due to my genetic inability to understand chemistry. I get the importance about balancing. And that testing is very important. But what the heck to do fix things off kilter. How much of what ect.... I had a fairly stable new 55g set up with stable 7.9 PH, till I listened to the LFS and added buffer, now I am losing fish. Of course there could be other reasons, :)notsure: ).
But what I want to know from this thread is how much is PH allowed to vary in a tank before it begins to throw other stuff out of wack and your livestock begins to suffer?
Thx
KathyW
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
A PH that varies over the course of a day is OK. Dripping limewater at night will stabilize it a bit.
If PH is low and stays low then it indicates a problem. Think of a fever thermometer as PH. If the Thermometer reads over 100F then you have a fever. Placing the thermometer in icewater will result in it showing a lower temp, but it does nothing for your fever.
Just like adding a buffer to raise PH does nothing for the problem, typically excess CO2.
If you can test your water for Calcium, Alkalinity and two PH readings - morning & night.
Then describe your system.
Usually someone on the board will have similar experience and can help you.
 
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