Ph levels

[Stormy2]

i have had my tank up and running now for about 6 days now and have been testing the water since and i cant seem to get my Ph level to rise. I have been holding fairly steady at 7.6. I did a 12% water change yesterday, and added some red sea success buffer but didn't affect it. Is this normal when starting a new reef tank? And is the live rock still giving off acidic material?

 

[Joe Fish]

Did you cure the rock? What kind of rock did you put in your tank? What type of water are you using? Tap or RO/DI?

 

[Lotus]

If your tank is cycling, it's not unusual to have a low pH. Have you checked the pH of your water change water?

 

[Stormy2]

I'm using fiji live rock that was cured at the local aquarium store. I asked him if it was already cured and he said that they always cure it for at least a week before they put it out. I'm using tap water with water conditioner (i know its not the best but i refuse to buy a reverse osmosis machine $$), and yes i checked the ph level twice now since the water change with no results.

 

[epond83]

... Have you checked the pH of your water change water?

What is the pH of the mixed up water before you add it to the tank?

 

[Stormy2]

i didn't check the ph of the water i added to the tank. I will check that during the next water change

 

[Lotus]

If the store only cured it for a week, it's possibly still cycling. What are your ammonia and nitrite readings?

 

[Joe Fish]

Yes, LR takes more than a week to completely cure. Give it a few more weeks before putting live stock in. Do regular testings to see when it's done.

 

[Stormy2]

I did a few tests and found the tap water with conditioner and salt has a ph of 8.2. So i did another 12% water change, went out and bought a Ph riser. Now my Ph in the tank is about 8.2. Nitrite levels around .07. I didnt buy a ammonia test because i figured i would have a spike so why pay to see something you already know. I'm going to pick one up in the next week or 2.

My brother decided he wanted me to have a shrimp so he went out and bought a little banded coral shrimp. I tried to explain to him not to because i'm still in my cycling stages but he did anyway. He actually is doing well, and a cool little guy. I hope he makes it lol.

 

[Joe Fish]

Well, I doubt the shrimp will survive with nitrite levels. It's almost a certainty that there is also ammonia in the tank as it's still cycling. It's not very good husbandry to add things during this stage.

 

[Airborneguy]

Don't go crazy worrying about PH. check the alk/dkh when you get that test and worry about fixing that.

 

[Stormy2]

ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels are good. The shrimp is actually doing well. I went out and tested alk/dkh and all is well. Thanks for the input.