Saltwater pH, alkalinity, and buffers

[radamsk1]

I've had saltwater at my previous residence with my parents. However, now I've been back in the hobby with freshwater and starting a nano 10g saltwater. It's been cycling/running for a bit now with some live sand/rock. The water by my house is very acidic and very low in alkalinity and hardness. I've never bothered with R/O water since the water here has so little impurities, I've never had any problems with freshwater and my discus. So I decided to use this same water for the saltwater. After setting it up with some live sand, I checked the pH and it was below 8.0 I know it needs to be between 8.0-8.4, preferrably around 8.3. I added some marine buffer and have been working it to around 8.2, i might add a bit more to today to bring it to 8.3.

What's your input on marine buffers and reef carbonate buffers? Pros/cons?

 

[OCCFan023]

buffers work fine for me. No real cons except that you gotta buy it lol.

 

[wayne]

Buffers work fine for me but you'll never get a pH of over 8.3 just using an alkalinity buffer - that's chemistry . However once you get to 9+ dKH you have a very steady, solid pH 8.1, 8.2.

Most salts sold are a bit low on kH, but you need a test kit to see how low. If I need to get pH higher i.e. algae wars , I like to drip kalk.

I use a Kent commercial buffer as I don't use enough to make d.i.y.ing to be worth the bother.

 

[radamsk1]

I've been buffering with a pH buffer and simultaneously on the other days building the carbonate up, making sure to do it far apart enough that the carbonate buffers don't settle out the calcium, strontium, etc. Looks like i'm around 8.1-8.2 now.