pH too low questions...

[whatcaneyedo]

Here is some homework reading if you're interested is some better understanding of the relationship between CO2, Alkalinity and pH.

Low pH: Causes and Cures
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm

[Milad]

just tested my alk its just over 6dkh

[Milad]

well that was easy
i put in 40ml of B into DT and 40ml of A into sump
now the ph is 8.16!! woot
i was going to do 40ml for next 4 days but maybe ill stop after the pH hits 8.25ish

[untamed]

Originally Posted by Milad

well that was easy
i put in 40ml of B into DT and 40ml of A into sump
now the ph is 8.16!! woot
i was going to do 40ml for next 4 days but maybe ill stop after the pH hits 8.25ish

You are only seeing pH move as a side effect of what you are doing to Alk...and likely the particular timing of WHEN you read the pH.

It seems like you are adding A/B based on pH measurement, when you should be adding A/B ONLY based on what you are measuring for Ca/Alk.

When you have your Ca/Alk rock stable...THEN you can start thinking about ways to manipulate your pH. Until that point, you should not be concerned about what your pH appears to be.

[Milad]

Originally Posted by untamed

You are only seeing pH move as a side effect of what you are doing to Alk...and likely the particular timing of WHEN you read the pH.

It seems like you are adding A/B based on pH measurement, when you should be adding A/B ONLY based on what you are measuring for Ca/Alk.

When you have your Ca/Alk rock stable...THEN you can start thinking about ways to manipulate your pH. Until that point, you should not be concerned about what your pH appears to be.

yup thats what i did (sorta) i was trying to raise my DKH which I have done now i believe. But i did also dose the Ca but forgot to buy a test kit to test what it was! doh.

[Albertan22]

Try opening your windows if you don't already. Low pH in aquariums is often a problem when CO2 levels in a house get high. CO2 is acidic, and often some fresh air fixes the problem right up. I have this happen every winter, but it could be a problem for people with air conditioning who don't open up their house every now and then.

[Myka]

Imo, you are concentrating on pH way too much, and calcium and alkalinity not enough. You need a calcium kit as well. Provided the calcium and alkalinity levels are already balanced you will use equal parts of Kent Tech A & B. If they are out of balance you will balance it by using only one of the parts (A is calcium and B is alkalinity if I remember correctly).


Balanced Calcium and Alkalinity: (as per Randy Holmes-Farley)

360 ppm to 0 dKH
370 ppm to 1.4 dKH
380 ppm to 2.8 dKH
390 ppm to 4.2 dKH
400 ppm to 5.6 dKH
410 ppm to 7 dKH (natural seawater)
420 ppm to 8.4 dKH
430 ppm to 9.8 dKH
440 ppm to 11.2 dKH
450 ppm to 12.6 dKH
460 ppm to 14 dKH

In addition to what everyone else has said, your tank is brand spanky new if I remember correctly. Was the live rock cured or uncured? Did it have much of a cycle? The more nutrients that are allowed to break down in the tank and go through the nitrogen cycle the lower the pH will be. This is why we use such things as protein skimmers to remove dissolved organics before they can be processed by the nitrogen cycle. "Dirty" tanks will generally also have a lower pH because of such a large amount of organics breaking down.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the low pH right now. Worry about keeping your tank clean, keep detritus from settling, provide fresh outside air to your house (open a window at night), make sure your skimmer is of suitable size and quality for your tank, keep skimmer clean and skimming wet instead of dry, keep calcium, alkalinity and magnesium within their balanced levels, etc. If everything else is in order pH will fall into place. I would strongly suggest a person not try to alter pH directly in a reef tank.