Best way to raise ph? Kalk?

[whatcaneyedo]

Kalkwasser is one of many ways. Have a read and decide which one(s) will work best for you. I personally had my best success by drilling a large hole in the side of our house. But that may not be possible for other people. Low pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/

[dcw1sfu]

I use have a C02 Scrubber set up and attached to my skimmer input. I buy medical grade Soda Lime from a medical supplies place in the US. I did this rather then drilling a hole in the side of my house.

[dino]

if ph is swinging a lot it is most likely because alkalinity is not stable or at ideal levels. although it does fluctuate at night

[dcw1sfu]

Originally Posted by dino

if ph is swinging a lot it is most likely because alkalinity is not stable or at ideal levels. although it does fluctuate at night

True but depending on how tightly closed up your house is this may cause excess CO2 levels lowering PH. my Alk is rock stable but notice PH swings. If I have more people in my house the lower my PH gets. In my case the Soda scrubber solves this and I have personally noticed my corals have been healthier and growth has increased because of it.

Of course everyone's tank conditions are different. What has worked for me might not work for someone else. As in Ryans case he has excellent growth and color despite PH fluctuations.

[dino]

Ok well if your only wanting to adjust ph then soda ash is your best bet

[Myka]

Did you do Randy's CO2 test that's described in the link provided above? If CO2 is the problem, then trying anything other than reducing CO2 will be fighting an uphill battle. How much calcium and alkalinity are you currently dosing? You may not be able to dose enough kalk to get the pH increase you're looking for. As a sidebar, switching to a calcium reactor will probably lower your pH more. Randy's CO2 test should be step 1 for anyone thinking about messing with pH.