About to throw in the white towel

daniella3d · #1 10-11-2010, 02:29 AM

If you have this problem since you started using the biopellets, then why not take a break from it and see if the PH come back to normal level?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coleus

yes i have cheato and mangroves with reverse light cycle in my refugium, although the cheato has been shrinking due to bio-pellets

Myka · #2 10-11-2010, 04:05 AM

Personally, it's on a rare occasion that I will mess with pH directly in a reef tank by adding pH altering chemicals. Steady pH is more important than proper pH, although 7.7 is getting a bit concerning. There are many things that will lower pH, but the most common are:

~ CO2 build up
~ Organic breakdown

Both issues can usually be solved by a good quality skimmer (off gasses CO2 from the tank increases oxygen), fresh air in the house (lowers CO2 in the house increases oxygen), proper water flow, and good maintenance routines.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coleus

I know as long my alk is high i should not worry about my ph is being low.

Not true. Alkalinity buffers the pH, it doesn't directly alter it. That means higher alkalinity will make pH more resistant to change either up or down. There are some alkalinity buffers that will directly alter the pH (like SeaChem Marine Buffer 8.3).

Quote:

Originally Posted by daniella3d

If you have this problem since you started using the biopellets, then why not take a break from it and see if the PH come back to normal level?

Agreed.

If you don't have an algae problem, why are you using Bio Pellets anyway? It is for the 5 ppm nitrate? That seems hardly enough to interfere with Bio Pellets imo. I'm not sold on these Bio Pellets yet though - I've seen more trouble than good with them so far. Maybe Bio Pellets also lower pH? Maybe it is a coincidence?

amoreira · #3 10-11-2010, 04:23 AM

Vigorous aeration by your skimmer helps pH. Using a refugium with macro algae and lots of light on at night helps too. If you keep the alkalinity higher, then pH swings will be less too. Check your probe calibration and make sure there are no electrical current leaks in your system that may cause your probe reading to go off.

untamed · #4 10-11-2010, 05:44 PM

I'll add my $.02 to say that my experience with adding Kalk overnight has taught me that this will work....to a degree... I've found the Kalk in my reactor is effective for about 2 weeks, then I have to replace it with new Kalk. You should be able to measure the pH of the Kalk at something like 13+.