TOP off water.

shnabbles

shnabbles

Member
My RO water is VERY VERY low in ph.... Should i add a little buffer to the top off water to make the top off water 8.2? I think its 7.2 straight out of the RO hose... I dont have the test kit in front of my but when tested the RO water is BRIGHT yellow.
 
jjlittle

jjlittle

Member
I have never added buffer and really dont believe in any buffers most of the time they may help in one area and have a down fall in another. With regular water changes the water should stable out to the right ph etc.I have have my tank for 1 1/2 years and never add any buffer etc to top off water .
 
shnabbles

shnabbles

Member
If i add no buffer the PH only gets to 7.8... remebers its 7.2 out of the RO machine... The PH in our water around here is VERY LOW... we had our tap water tested and the guy seemed amazed at how low the PH was.
 
airforceb2

airforceb2

Active Member
Do you have any powerheads pointed towards the surface of the water to enable a gas exchange? This may cause low pH if you don't. You should have slight rippling of the water.
 
shnabbles

shnabbles

Member
Yes the top of the water definently has ripples. I have 21.5 x's water turn over plus another maxi jet 1200 for my protien skimmer so i have plenty of flow... I have to power heads aimed high, and 2 power heads aimed low. I dont know why my ph wont get up to and stay at 8.2 with out buffers.
 
kdfrosty

kdfrosty

Active Member
Do you use a glass lid to your tank? Possibly try using eggcrate to increase gas exchange if you dont already.
 
shnabbles

shnabbles

Member
I wouldnt trust my PC's sitting on top of the tank with out some kind of lid...
Yes as of right no i have a glass cover.. The back of the tank is open about 2 inches though. I have just recently added to fans blowing into that opening to keep temp down... Maybe they will help with gas exchange aswell?
 
kdfrosty

kdfrosty

Active Member
Fans will certainly help create more evaporation, therefore lowering temperature. They'll probably, depending on speed, also create more water ripples across the surface.
I have a 50g, and I had high temps...was evaporating 1 gallon a day.
I added a clip on fan to maintain reasonable temps, now I evaporate 2.5 gallons per day.
Thank god for my JBJ ATO.
 
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