sonny
Member
I have a 240 gallon tank that has been set up for about one year. It has a strong pump (iwaki 55RLT) that pumps about 800-900 gph after the 6 foot rise. It has base rock in it (probably 300 pounds) that was dry, and is now (after a year) full of bacteria, and a Lifegard fluidized sand filter. It is a fish only tank. I post here because most reef keepers know more about water chemistry than other saltwater keepers.
Since set-up, the ph in the tank has been very high. When I first added the salt, it was almost 9.0 . It had dropped to about 8.4, after which I added some fish, but now has inched back up to stabilize at about 8.6 (it's darker than the highest reading on my test kit, which is a SeaTest brand). Since high ammonia and nitrites make the ph drop, I know that is not the problem. Ammonia and Nitrite are zero, and alkalinity is 2.5 meg/l. I haven't measured nitrate, as it is a fish only tank, and fish don't seem to mind high nitrates. I have CaribSea sand as a substrate. I don't want to add chemicals to drop the ph, but I can't think of anything else to do. I've been keeping saltwater tanks for over 20 years, but I've never had a tank that ran a High ph. Any ideas????
Sonny
Since set-up, the ph in the tank has been very high. When I first added the salt, it was almost 9.0 . It had dropped to about 8.4, after which I added some fish, but now has inched back up to stabilize at about 8.6 (it's darker than the highest reading on my test kit, which is a SeaTest brand). Since high ammonia and nitrites make the ph drop, I know that is not the problem. Ammonia and Nitrite are zero, and alkalinity is 2.5 meg/l. I haven't measured nitrate, as it is a fish only tank, and fish don't seem to mind high nitrates. I have CaribSea sand as a substrate. I don't want to add chemicals to drop the ph, but I can't think of anything else to do. I've been keeping saltwater tanks for over 20 years, but I've never had a tank that ran a High ph. Any ideas????
Sonny