ph drop

[Beverly]

Here is some excellent reading for better understanding reef chemistry:

Aquarium System Volume Calculator:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/volcalc.html

The Reef Chemistry Calculator:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

What is Alkalinity?

http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/f.../chemistry.htm

Calcium:

http://advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2002/chem.htm

Magnesium in Reef Aquaria:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2003/chem.htm

How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

The Relationship Between Alkalinity and pH:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2002/chem.htm

Solving Calcium and Alkalinity Problems:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

High pH: Causes and Cures:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/rhf/index.htm

Low pH: Causes and Cures:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.htm

[Skimmerking]

ok who told bev about this thread...

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by NaCL H20 REEFER

ok who told bev about this thread...

Ah, shucks, I just thought enquiring minds would want to know

Definitely lots of reading and well worth it too. I've read those pages over and over and freaking over again until I was able to get even the slightest grasp on the complexities of what's going on chemically in a reef. I'm still pretty dumb when it comes to reef chemistry compared to many

[robzilla]

well after 3 days of using the buffer, the ph is back up.
how often should i be checked the ph?
i'll check the other components once i get the test kits in from ocean aquatics.

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by Beverly

[I'm still pretty dumb when it comes to reef chemistry compared to many

That makes two of us.
In High School I dropped out of Chemistry 11 after two days.
Wasn't high on the priority list at the time.
Now I'm older and my brain isn't as spongy. (Sounds like a Rickyism).
That's my excuse and I'm stickin' to it.

Cheers,

[Samw]

For me, the time of day that I take PH readings make a big difference. My PH is 7.7 or 7.8 in the morning before lights on and 8.4-8.6 in the late afternoon during full lighting.

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by robzilla

well after 3 days of using the buffer, the ph is back up.
how often should i be checked the ph?

I use a pH probe and monitor that is always in one tank or another. Great investment, imo.

[Chin_Lee]

Originally Posted by robzilla

well after 3 days of using the buffer, the ph is back up.
how often should i be checked the ph?
i'll check the other components once i get the test kits in from ocean aquatics.

check daily and you will know how much alk your system uses in a 24 hour period. then just keep dosing the same amount every 24 hours to maintain the desired level.

example
day 1 at 1200 pm = 8 dkh
day 2 at 1200 pm = 7.5 dkh
day 3 at 1200 pm = 7 dkh
your system is losing .5 dkh/24 hours.
calculate how much you need to dose to raise your dkh by .5 and add that amount each day.

and don't forget to add the same amount of calcium too

[robzilla]

finally got in a kh/alk test kit.
assuming i followed the instructions correctly here's the results:
kh 9.0dkh
alk 3.2

do these readings seem correct? too high? too low?

[Johnny Reefer]

Those are fine, IMHO.

Cheers,