pH low... how to adjust?

[bigredspecial]

I'm nearly done cycling my nano, but I'm not content with the pH. using RO/Di and Reef Crystals(which I only use because lfs sells 50g bags for the same price as the 25g box of IO.. explain that!?!), my pH is 7.7-7.9(measured with both tetra and hagen tests). What can I do to bring it up, naturally, and keep it there?

I tried seachem buffer; it brought it up to 8.3, but also lowered my calcium levels, and even though no water has been changed, the pH has since shifted back to 7.9, while the ca remains low.

EDIT: alk was origionally 9.5; buffer peaked it at 11. tank has 10lbs aragonite and 5.5lbs LR. SG is 1.025.

 

[JeLeAk]

crushed coral will raise the ph, what kind of sunstrate are you using now?

 

[CoolWaters]

crushed coral will raise the ph, what kind of sunstrate are you using now?

its not recommend to get crushed coral since its a nitrate trap and creates unstable PH lvls.

Live sand is the best thing u can get atm.




IO is just popular in your case. lol yeah but RC should be like 5%-10% more expensive. i guess IO is just easier to deal with.

you should get the 160g buckets cuz they come with a free T-shirt XD and when your done you get a free bucket with cap =P!!!

did i forget to mention u save money long term?



btw overall hows the seachem working so far? i use kent and its just working fine....

 

[KahluaZzZ]

crushed coral isn't that bad...it's a nitrate trap only if there's no maintenance. In any substrate left alone you'll have a good amount of decaying organics, even sand. BTW sand like aragonite sand ( mostly used ) is the same stuff than the crushed coral...only bigger, so detritus can be trapped easily..(leading to a lower ph) but both will temporarily raise the ph ( max 8 ) when you first put it in your tank.
Maybe a dose of reef calcium by Seachem would help...it's not only Ca ( non caustic and ph 8+ )

 

[TheFool]

Changing the substrate to crush coral or fine sand isn't going to raise pH here as it is already at a level where it is almost insoluble, and will dissolve so slowly it can't make a difference. One thing to look at is the alk, if that is low then it will be hard to drive pH up to a good, stable level. However even supplementing alk will only get you to pH 8.1, 8.2, and after that won't push it higher.
What might be holding pH down is excess organics or CO2. Q's
1. Are you overstocked? Too much of both, bad.
2. Do you have a skimmer - removes organics, drives out CO2 to atmosphere, good.
3. Do you have full air con. If so, and you don't open your windows regularly you likely have elevated CO2 in your house, so too much OC2 in your tank, and a low pH.+

 

[Lorna]

The Fool is right as always......also it wouldn't hurt to check the ph of the water you are changing....after the salt mix is added and fully disolved....also you may want to buffer your top off water....also, what time of day are you taking the ph at? it can and will fluctuate during the day.....so take a few measurements.

 

[TRe]

id try the buffer again maybe a differant kind

 

[Joe Fish]

Kent superbuffer is a good choice.

 

[bigredspecial]

thanks to everyone who tried to help me, but I havn't really gotten any awnsers...

Crushed coral won't help; I already have aragonite in there(as stated in OP)

The Fool: My alk is at 9dKH; after I added the buffer, it went up to 11. There is no livestock in the tank yet, save pods and bristleworms. I have no air conditioning(if I did, it wouldn't be on now... the temp outside is currently -12C), and windows are opened regularly.

Lorna: The water is always at 7.7-7.9, same as the tank. It also seems that the pH doesn't change with the time of day.


I'd really rather not be condemmed to dosing buffer with every wc, but it's starting to look like my only option.

 

[Joe Fish]

What does a new batch of mixed salt water have a PH of? If you cannot get your PH to stablize then you will have to continue to buffer it. Any substrate that contains aragonite will help buffer the PH. What did you use to buffer? It can take longer for the PH to stabalize vs alk to raise.

 

[Lorna]

You should always buffer the water if your salt mix doesn't mix up at 8.3. Also your top off water as well. Are you dosing ca? if so think about using kalkwasser to dose as it will bring up the ph also. I have heard of mixing water bring the ph to 8.3......then wait a couple of hours and check it again if it drops that may indicate high co2 levels that are not always due to air conditioning. What do you use to heat your home with? maybe there is another source of co2

 

[CoolWaters]

heard baking powder raises your PH...but theres downsides to it...

plan B?

 

[KahluaZzZ]

temporary ph raise with baking. Mixed with sodium carbonate ( 2 third baking, 1 third sodium carbonate sold as washing soda ) you can make a decent buffer.

 

[Lorna]

Baking powder and baking soda are NOT the same thing. If you use it make sure you use baking soda only.......the problem here is you can go too high.....kent super buffer or seachem will only buffer to 8.3 and no higher

 

[Joe Fish]

I have used baking powder, but it seem to take for every to come down. It will raise it past 8.3.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

yup baking soda..not the same : Difference Between Baking Powder and Baking Soda

 

[TheFool]

And it won't hold it over 8.3 stably. And with a kH of 9 I think adding mountains of buffer is unlikely to make a difference, as it's already at a good level.

I would be tempted to mix up a bucket of water and keep in the same room, aerated with a powerhead for a day or two, and see what the pH is after that.

 

[bigredspecial]

I've had a bucket aerating with a powerhead for the last 24 hours; the pH is 8.0.

 

[bigredspecial]

just tested all my parameters; pH is still 8.0; Alk is 9.5dKH.

 

[rollntider]

Baking soda will raise the total alkalinity and should stablize your PH. In college I used to service swimming pools, and I do fresh water tanks. I always put a little baking soda in my water to stabilize the ph. I am not sure how it works in salt water setups, but in setups with fresh and swimming pools, good old fashioned arm and hammer works great. It will raise your ph so add a little at a time.