pH
- Thread starter booya
- Start date
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
I agree with previous posters.
additionally ph drops in my 55g occured after running the system for about three months. More than anything else, I just let the system run and build up buffering on it's own. Now it stays at 8.4 all the time. Kinda like a late happening cycle type thing.
additionally ph drops in my 55g occured after running the system for about three months. More than anything else, I just let the system run and build up buffering on it's own. Now it stays at 8.4 all the time. Kinda like a late happening cycle type thing.
overanalyzer
Active Member
booya - take a water sample to an LFS and have them test it for you for PH, CA and Alk....
overanalyzer
Active Member
Originally posted by ReefNut
Good suggestion overanalyzer, most LFS will test it for cheap.
or free if they care about your business!!
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
Booya:
Correct me if I am wrong but weren't you also trying to get rid of hair algae with reduced lighting? As I remember you also reported ph of 8.0 at that time. If this is correct have you noticed your PH lowering as the hair algae disappeared? My PH corrected itself after I added plant life. Just a thought.
Correct me if I am wrong but weren't you also trying to get rid of hair algae with reduced lighting? As I remember you also reported ph of 8.0 at that time. If this is correct have you noticed your PH lowering as the hair algae disappeared? My PH corrected itself after I added plant life. Just a thought.
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
Originally posted by booya
The algae is going away a little and the pH has went down some. I was thinking that if I got the pH to were it needs to be that the algae would go way quicker. the pH was at 8 all the time and now it stays in the high 7's and will get to 8 every now and then.
I am not an expert here but I think you got it backwards. Kip did a nice thread on ph bout a month or two ago. Also other sources report that plant life buffers ph. From kip's thread it seems the carbon dioxide leads to ph drop. As you already know, plant life consumes carbon dioxide. So as you (and I) have observed as plant life decreased ph went down. Of course that is overstated and buffering in the system comes into play also. But it is what we have observed.
Perhaps the best thing to do is get the plant life where you want it and then worry about the ph (within reason). Again adding macros or marine plants would consume the carbon dioxide, plant nutrients and therefore control the hair algae and buffer the ph.
In my system I did add a pinch of baking soda and it did seem to help. But the real solution was more maturing of the system and the addition of plant life.
bang guy
Moderator
Originally posted by beaslbob
As you already know, plant life consumes carbon dioxide
This is only true while it is able to photosynthesize. When the lights are off the process is reversed and algae consumes O2 and expells CO2. If you have a lot of Macro algae in a display tank this can make quite the dramatic drop in PH overnight.
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
Originally posted by booya
Thanks I think that I will get the test kits as soon as I can. With high ALK and Ca the purple and green algae in my tank should take over and push out the green hair algae right?
Hopefully the hair will die off under the reduced lighting and the coraline can catch up when the lights return. Coraline also needs calcium. All part of establishing a system.