why is my pH so high
 

hey everyone,
i tested my tank with liquid pH testers and im getting 8.6 consistently....im worried because i think thats too high.....its consistent and not changing so is it possible to keep fish, inverts and various corals alive with that pH. if not what can i do to lower it to 8.0 or 8.3?
thanks

have any livestock at the moment? whats your tap waters ph? it should be more neutral

i dont have any livestock in there, its been about a week since i started cycling. i havent tested the pH directly out of the tap but i'll do that now and post the results...

alright i tested fresh out of the tap and it was pH of 7.6 which actually amazes me considering i have kept so many fresh water fish in here that would have needed lower pH

What are you using to test it with?

im using the master test kit, liquid pH tester. im not using the paper pH testing thing.



im following the directions word by word....5 ml's of the water and 3 drops of the liquid tester. then i shake the test tube and then test immediately like it says to do

master by nutrafin?

oh sorry....just realized there are different master test kits........yeah by nutrafin

thats why its reading so high, get salifert or elos, I had nutrafin before too cause it was fresh and salt water "compatible" but its not. lol they are so inaccurate I just tossed it. if its still new you could take it back just tell them its crap and we said so! lol

8.6 isnt terrible...my tank sits at 8.3 at the peak of the swing...could just be wonky from the unstable conditions from your cycle.....I really wouldnt stress to much about it at this stage of the game......and ya, nutrafin test kits are not the most accurate.....

Do you happen to know the date it was manufactured?

Nutrafin tests rarely make it to their "good-until-one-year-after-manufactured-date" claim.

I know I've had to throw out a nutrafin kit. It hadn't worked accurately since the day I opened it. That was a different kit than pH however.

I'm not saying your kit is innacurate but it might be a good idea to test it against a substance with a known pH level just to be certain.

i know it says good until 2014 so its still relatively new...i didn't check the manufacture date but i should have. i like your idea about testing something with a known ph.....maybe i'll go test lemon juice. that seems like a fairly stable pH substance. CRAP i thought i was buying a good kit. you know i never even took into account that there was more then one kind of "master test kit" so every time i heard someone saying use a master kit or get a master kit it was the first one that came to mind. i'll test something with a known pH and if its right i'll be really happy but if not this would be a big waste of money

looking online i can see a few people posting that we have higher pH water here in edmonton....maybe this kit is accurate. now to go and test lemon juice lol

I thought I had a pH problem years ago then I stopped testing. Now I have no problem. I'd worry more about keeping your calcium and alk in check. Your tank will buffer at what it wants to and trying to mess with it will only cause a rollercoaster effect. It's better to be stable whether a little high or low. PH will also fluctuate depending on the time of day and the type of livestock. I wouldn't worry to much.

thanks and i think your right. its more about the consistency then it is about getting the exact ph. mine has been really consistent so im pretty happy with that. what is alkilinity and how is it tested?.....i know its really newbish.......

you will need an alkalinity test for that, I would also get calcium, and eventually magnesium

if you want as you get closer to ready to stock i could come over and run the wak of them for you. shoot me a pm if you want

You sound a bit clueless about reef aquarium chemistry. Here are some articles to give you a good foundation.

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 1: The Salt Water Itself
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-03/rhf/index.php

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 2: What Chemicals Must be Supplemented
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php

The "How To" Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners, Part 3: pH
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-05/rhf/index.php

The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners,
Part 4: What Chemicals May Detrimentally Accumulate
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/rhf/index.php

i wouldn't say "clueless" but i would say still new and learning as i go along

I would say new too. LOL. I'm still figuring it out as well

lol its a lot to take in at once....i spend hours studying reef aquarium info and its funny because even when i've built a good foundaton on one subject i find something new to learn. its a huge jump from fresh water to salt water and with the knowledge and the right tools it doesn't have to be a hard one.

but i do really appreciate all the links becaue they give me a good solid place to learn

I haven't read everyone's replies, so I'm not sure if I'm echoing or not. Sorry if I am...

Do yourself a favor and throw out your pH test kit. I'm not joking. First, pH test kits are horribly inaccurate. If you're going to bother yourself with testing pH (and I don't think you should at this stage in your reefkeeping) get a more accurate testing device like a handheld pH tester or an in-sump pH meter that you are sure to calibrate regularly. Otherwise, just don't test it and you won't have anything to worry about. The reason I say this is because if all your other major parameters are in check the pH will be within range too.

thanks myka, honestly im going to stop testing pH and focus more on the important stuff. its all new to me and a big surprise that no one actually tests pH and im glad for that.
thanks