Alk and ph

numsie · May 8, 2014

Hello all, I have an Apex Jr that I only use for temperature control, got tired of the lousy controllers that burn out or blow fuses. I was wondering if it be worth the investment to add on the module that will monitor my Ph. Will high Ph also mean my alkalinity is high? I had a situation a few weeks ago with my alkalinity, it was low (7.6), I do dose part A and part B but one of the dosers got clogged, so I turned off the dosers and put in 2 teaspoons of seachem marine buffer powder for 4 days and tested for Alk only to discover that it shot up to 14.6. So my question is if I had a Ph probe hooked up to the Apex would I have been able to discover the rise sooner? My system is a well stocked 90g reef.

Thanks
David

fishroomlady · May 8, 2014

I don't pay attention to ph.

numsie · May 8, 2014

I usually don't either but I was wondering if high PH will also be high Alk.

redfishbluefish · May 8, 2014

You cannot use pH to monitor alk.

evolved · May 8, 2014

redfishbluefish said:
You cannot use pH to monitor alk.

Unless it's a resulting pH spike from a sudden Alk overdose (think doser that's stuck on), but that's really a different situation that the question here.

Pete polyp · May 8, 2014

evolved said:
Unless it's a resulting pH spike from a sudden Alk overdose (think doser that's stuck on), but that's really a different situation that the question here.

Usually the spike in Ph is very short lived too. When I dose my part 2 I can see an increase in Ph within 1 minute and it drops back to where it was in about an hour.

Excellent advice given already!

numsie · May 8, 2014

But thats not really answering my question will high ALK also reflect a high PH reading? Y or N?

Pete polyp · May 8, 2014

redfishbluefish said:
You cannot use pH to monitor alk.

This answered that question

trido · May 8, 2014

NO, Alk and Ph do not correspond to each other. My Ph swings from 7.9-8.1 all year long. My alk swings from 8-12 throughout the year and the Ph absolutely does not change with the Alk.

saltyfish · May 9, 2014

Yes, Alk does effect pH. Those with elevated CO2 levels may not notice much of a difference though. I would not use a pH probe to monitor Alk though because there are too many factors that effect pH other than Alk.

I recommend reading this article if you haven't already:
Low pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

saltyfish · May 9, 2014

even more relative is this one:
High pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

numsie · May 9, 2014

Thanks all for the info

So I guess I won't waste the money on a PH probe!

trido · May 9, 2014

saltyfish said:
Yes, Alk does effect pH. Those with elevated CO2 levels may not notice much of a difference though. I would not use a pH probe to monitor Alk though because there are too many factors that effect pH other than Alk.

I recommend reading this article if you haven't already:
Low pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Interesting read, I had no idea in eight years of reefkeeping. I little complex for a lot of new reefers who are overwhelmed with the balance of Alk, Cal and Mg. and definitely not relevant to the OP's idea of using a Ph probe to monitor Dkh.