I wanted to also share something I was listening to on YouTube last night that is outright ridiculous and misleading for new hobbiest. The individual stated several things so I'll just list them for ease of reference:
1) high PH has no impact on coral growth
2) when referencing proper alkalinity levels it was stated "they" tell us the range should be between 8-12... then goes on to state there are lots of people who run under 8 Alk and don't have any issues... then most incorrectly states that anything under 7 is acidic... no I'm not making this up or taking it out of context.
3) the higher you go with pH, the higher you are going to go with your alk....
Let me address each of these directly:
1) this is completely false. High pH has been demonstrated to show quicker overall growth (in stoney corals) and not just anecdotally but through scientific research. Can you grow corals at low pH? Yes, 100% you can... but objectively you will demonstrate lower growth.
2) where do I even start with this one? Let's start with the ocean... the alk ranges in different parts but is 7-7.5 to my knowledge (correct me if I'm wrong). Next... there may have been confusion or ignorance when referencing "anything under 7 is acidic"... while this is 100% true when referencing pH... the individual was very clearly referencing alk and alk alone (again to my knowledge) is not itself acidic.
3) this statement is almost correct but wrong in the context given. It has been observed that alk levels can play a roll in your pH level, not the other way around. Additionally the individual may be confused (no, they're definitely confused) in reference to alk consumption when running higher pH. As I stated before, if you're running an average pH of 7.8 and boost it up to 8.3, you will 100% see an increase in your alkalinity consumption... and if you don't increase your dosing, your alk will do the opposite of what was stated by the individual.
Why bring any of this up? Because I think it's ridiculous to be out there marketing a channel as "beginner friendly" and then you spew things that are not true and not even helpful. I couldn't imagine how confused I would be if I was just beginning again and this was the channel I stumbled on for knowledge. I think it's sad and highlights an overarching theme in this hobby of bad information which causes new hobbiest to give up and quit. Vicious cycle.