Realllllly low pH in QT tank...Can't figure this out

[spoot]

That's very odd Justin, you'd think the salt would be enough to raise and stabilize the pH at 8 ish.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by spoot

That's very odd Justin, you'd think the salt would be enough to raise and stabilize the pH at 8 ish.

Yeah thats exactly what I thought. I have never had PH go below 8, so its new to me and I really have no idea how it could go so low. Im worried about the fish even though they both seem fine.

I may try AGAIN to calibrate the monitor or maybe its broken. But I did test manually as well and get the same results. This morning its reading 5.91 and alk is 30 mg/l

I thought this was way too low for saltwater fish and that by this point they would not be looking too good.

I was thinking of using a filter bag full of something like crushed coral to see if that stabilizes the PH at all. Is this a bad idea for any reason?

[spoot]

It should be worth a shot. At that pH, the CC should be dissolved and help.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by spoot

It should be worth a shot. At that pH, the CC should be dissolved and help.

Yeah exactly. I have CC bags in my brackish tank to keep the PH up and it works very well. I think I should do this tonight because Im getting worried about my fish in such low PH.

[BigA]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

Yeah thats exactly what I thought. I have never had PH go below 8, so its new to me and I really have no idea how it could go so low. Im worried about the fish even though they both seem fine.

I may try AGAIN to calibrate the monitor or maybe its broken. But I did test manually as well and get the same results. This morning its reading 5.91 and alk is 30 mg/l

I thought this was way too low for saltwater fish and that by this point they would not be looking too good.

I was thinking of using a filter bag full of something like crushed coral to see if that stabilizes the PH at all. Is this a bad idea for any reason?

That still might not solve the problem. The CC should bring the ph up, but I would bet that as soon as the cc bag is removed, the ph will likely crash again, which means you haven't really solved the dilemma, just hidden it beneath the surface. Sounds to me like some kind of buffer is bringing it down.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by BigA

That still might not solve the problem. The CC should bring the ph up, but I would bet that as soon as the cc bag is removed, the ph will likely crash again, which means you haven't really solved the dilemma, just hidden it beneath the surface. Sounds to me like some kind of buffer is bringing it down.

Well since its a Qt tank that will only be up for another 2-3 weeks, I don't really need to solve the problem long term. If this were my display tank, I would be freaking out right now and not looking for a quick fix like CC.

[Johnny Reefer]

What's your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates at?
Are you doing frequent (emphasis on the frequent) partial water changes?

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Johnny Reefer

What's your ammonia, nitrites, nitrates at?
Are you doing frequent (emphasis on the frequent) partial water changes?

0,0 and 15. No frequent changes, just once a week. This is a cycled tank, not just set up last minute for new fish. Whats the emphasis on frequent for and what does it have to do with the PH?

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

..... This is a cycled tank, not just set up last minute for new fish. ....

We have different QT methods then.
My QT tank is not cycled. In fact, it is empty when I'm not using it.
When I start it up, I do a water change on my display tank. The outgoing water goes into the QT tank. I then mix up a 5g bucket of new water. The next day I start doing daily 25% water changes to the QT tank. It's a 20g tank.
I drain 5g from the QT, siphoning any uneaten food at the same time.
Then I take 5g from the display sump and pour that into the QT.
The new 5g batch goes into the display sump.
Then I mix another new 5g batch for the next day, and so on...
This method helps keep ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and pH in check.

But you mentioned hyposalinity, so I suppose this method wouldn't work for you. Maybe try it without using display water. Just the new water.

At any rate, I think you should try daily water changes. JMO.