29 gallon Biocube!

[Aysha]

My Ph keeps crashing does anyone have any ideas
its done it 3 times since yesterday.
I had to treat the tank with ich attack for the last 2 weeks JOY!
and thats the main thing that's changed.

I've done 3 15 percent waterchanges in a week and a half .
yesterday after I finished one I noticed my chromis acting wierd.
Ph 7.2
added marine buffer and marine builder
ph 8.4
checked again today
ph.7.8

ammonia zero
nitrates zero
nirates zero

I feel like im a really really bad fish keeper
ANY ideas whats causing this

29 gallons
temp 27
35 lbs live rock
15 lbs live sand
various inverts
2 fish
salinity 35

[lpsreefer]

Your salinity is at 1.35?

[Aysha]

That's what I was told to keep it at to keep my polyps alive, and thats what I got adding half cup of coralife per gallon of water should I lower it?

[lpsreefer]

Yeah a lot lower.
1.24-1.26 is the range you want.

[Aysha]

okay I'll start there, will this help with the ph issue?

[lpsreefer]

The best way I found with reefs is just let them be on routine and dont mess around with them.
I would get your salt level down.

[fishytime]

hold on before you go lowering the salinity.....two different ways to measure salinity......forget now exactly what they are called, but one measures out to 1.025ish and the other measures out to 35......

as for the ph.....dont worry about it too much.....a lot of time messing with it creates more issues (because of the swing) than if it is a little low or a little high but stable......

[lpsreefer]

Good point. I never look at that side of my refractometer.
How are you measuring your salinity?

[Aysha]

.35 and 1.35 are the same according to my refractometer
I changed it out a bit to 1.25
I won't mess with them anymore Ive done what I can and this hobby is starting to worry me

[lpsreefer]

Lol. Just remember Keep It Stupid Simple.(kiss)
With my biocube all I do is small weekly water changes. And clean the skimmer once a week.