Ph will not raise

[jbillens]

For about a month now my ph has not rissen above 7.8. I have tried to raise it with seachems reef buffer...raises ph to 8.3. None the less it has done absolutely nothing to my readings. Could this be the reason why i have had no luck with cleaner shrimp, as i have heard they are very sensative to ph levels. What can i do to get a ph of 8.3. I also dose every day with aragamilk and marine snow.
75 gal tank
2 maxijet 900's (also have flow from return pump)
70lb lr
inhabitants:
true perc
lmb
firefish
many snails and crabs
nitrate: 5
nitrite: 0
amonia: 0
phosphate: 0
calcium: 420
thanks in advance for the help
Josh

 

[maxalmon]

what test kit are you using? Have you taken sample water to LFS to see if their readings are the same?

 

[lion_crazz]

What is your alkalinity?

 

[jbillens]

my test kit is a aquarium pharmaceuticals test. Actually all of them are of this brand. I have not taken it to the lfs.....they use the same test as myself. I can not check alk as i do not have a test for this. any other ideas???
Josh

 

[maxalmon]

I've seen/read about the reagents on these test going bad, they do have a shelf life and as a control test, I would have another party check the readings. Are you using a LS bed?
Whats your SG or Salinity readings and how are you measuring these.

 

[lion_crazz]

Well you need to check alk. That is a neccessity to pH.

 

[jbillens]

i have a live sand bed that is about 3-4 in deep. i have had the test about 9 months. just checked specific gravity and it was 1.024. i use a simple marineland hydrometer(i know it is not the best thing out there for measuring sg but both fish and inverts are thriving in the tank so it can not be to inaccurate).

 

[jbillens]

lion craze it looks like you have delt with this before on the boards. you look like you really know something bout the subject. i will get a alk test kit tomarrow morning, and while i am at the lfs i will have then test my ph. is this alk test the same thing as a kh or dkh kit. sorry about my ignorance on the subject, but hey that is what this is all about right.
Josh

 

[lion_crazz]

Yes, alk/kH is the same thing. kH is just another way of measuring alk. Ideal ranges are:
alk - 2.86 to 4.29 meq/l
dkH - 8 to 12
CaCO3 - 143 to 214 ppm

 

[jbillens]

ok i got a seatest kit (only alk test i could find in toledo). i did the titration and the alk was 5 meq/L. this is high compared to what lion crazz suggested to be a good range. could this be the cause of the ph problem. also in the booklet that came with the test it said to aerate about half a gallon of water for a couple hours and then to check the ph and compare it to the tank. it could be an excess carbon dioxide problem. anyone have any thoughts about this.
Josh

 

[lion_crazz]

Yes, that alk is a little high. It is most likely causing the pH problem. I would follow their suggestion to see if your salt is giving you a high alkalinity. Mix up a 1/2 gallon to a gallon of saltwater, aerate it with a powerhead or airstone, mix it to the same salinity as your tank, and then test 3 to 4 hours later and see what the alk level is in a fresh batch of saltwater.
What brand of salt are you using?

 

[jbillens]

i will do that test and the one stated in their booklet. i use oceanic salt

 

[lion_crazz]

Wow, that's weird then. That is what I use, and if anything, that has a low alkalinity. I buffer my alk with each water change because it usually is a low alk level in the new batch.
I will be curious to see the results.

 

[jbillens]

ok i have the test in the booklet as follows
1/2 gallon tank water in a pitcher that is sitting in the shallow part of my sump so that temp remains the same as the tank. i have an air pump pumping into it. should i be using an air stone or are the bubbles off a straight hose sufficient enough. i will leave it for 3-4 hours and rest ph of both tank and pitcher.
i will test the fresh salt water to see if there is a problem with my salt after this test is done.
time to play the waiting game

 

[lion_crazz]

I would personally use an airstone to insure that it is well aerated. You want to test kH and pH of both your tank and that water after a few hours.

 

[jbillens]

ok test is over. after 3.5 hours of aeration the test water had a perfece 8.2 reading for ph. i have diagnosed an excess of carbon dioxide. what is the fix of this. could it be that i do not have enough flow in my tank. should i add an air stone to the sump to aid in gas transfer.
i also ran the alk test on some fresh mixed water. just as you said lion it was low. could the escess carbon dioxide raise my alk like that.
do you know of a good article or something that explains this alk ph business. i somewhat get it but it is still a bit confusing to me. i dont get the part that of how kh is related to ph, except for that fact that is just is.