Ph problem, please help

[bentrue]

i am having trouble keeping my Ph down. While my LFS says that a Ph of 8.5 will not hurt anything that i have, i want it lower to be safe.
i have a 29g, 32lb LR, 3" sandbed, a perc clown. i have done a 20% water change, added proper Ph 8.2 and my Ph is still 8.5. water is ammonia, nitrite are 0. nitrate is 10. i have cut back feeding quite a bit, but none of this has helped.
is there anything else that could be contributing to high Ph, and what can i do to bring this down?

 

[jess]

I would not worry. IMO, a PH of 8.2-8.4 is ideal.
So when you your water top ups you Ph will lower by itself. Because you are adding regular water (water with-out salt)
Does anyone disagree?

 

[fshhub]

nope, i agree, try adding water without proper ph, if it is a buffering solution, it will raise your alk, which in turn will help to keep the ph up there, another good thing to do is check your tester and ragents, could be poor readings, even if they were good, reagents fowl in sunlight and with age

 

[seatank]

i use the DKH Superbuffer it keeps all my levels good ph is at 8.2 all the time try that it helps i use a teaspoon a week.

 

[bentrue]

so my ph should be ok if i just continue to do what i am doing with water changes and top offs?
my ph has been stable at 8.5 for a few weeks, and i was just getting a little nervous. i guess that my nervousness is unneeded. will a ph of 8.5 be ok for corals and inverts?
thanks for the help!

 

[option720]

Ben-
What time are you measuring your PH? it will have a tendency to swing upward during the day, so the later you measure the higher it will be. Just something to chew on, try and measure before the lights come on in the morning.

 

[bentrue]

ok, thanks for the tip! i have always measured at night after the lights have been on for 7 or so hours.