What pH does crushed coral buffer to?

[eaglewonj]

I have crushed coral on the bottom of the tank (20 gallon) and the pH seems to be stuck at 7.8ish. I tried adding some buffer that would bring it up to as high as 8.3, but it doesn't change (well it does briefly after the buffer is added.) So basically two questions, does CC buffer to 7.8 and is this ok for fish. Ok third question, will the addition of fish eventually cause this to go up?
The fish I plan so far are a pair of Percula clowns (small ones, but one bigger than the other). Any more advice?

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by eaglewonj
What pH does crushed coral buffer to?
It depends on temperature and Alkalinity.
Low PH has many causes, insufficient "buffer" isn't one of them. Don't add "buffer" to alter your PH, it's not going to work.
Excess CO2:
inadequate skimmer
inadequate waterflow
overstocked tank
Organic Acids:
overfeeding
accumulated detritus
something died
Find the cause(s) and fix the cause(s). Using a chemical to artificially mask the problem does nothing to actually fix the problem.
Since you have no fish you're obviously not overstocked. The first thing I'd check is your waterflow. Then make sure there's not detritus collecting in the CC or in a corner somewhere.
CC will do nothing for you PH problem.

 

[eaglewonj]

The tank is a fresh cycling one, so the rotting material at the moment is the fish food as ammonia source. Also so fresh live rock in there that may have some die off, but all the better to provide ammonia i guess. At the moment the protein skimmer is not running as the tank cycles. I may have to add a powerhead for fish, but the filter alone moves the tank volume about 8 times an hour and I think the protein skimmer may contribute a little.
EDIT: should i start the protein skimmer now, even with the tank still cycling?

 

[bang guy]

Yes, start the skimmer now.
The organic decay is the source of your low PH. Don't worry about PH during the cycle.

 

[eaglewonj]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
Yes, start the skimmer now.
The organic decay is the source of your low PH. Don't worry about PH during the cycle.
Thank you, pH had me worried as it was the only parameter I couldn't seem to get in line. I got SG, Temp, and now the ammonia and subsequent nitrite peak. Just today the nitrates came up on the scale. So i guess the cycle is going well.