Best way to stabilize Ph

[reeferdon]

My PH is fluctuating between 7.70 and 8.0. How do I stabilize it? I'm running the BRS C02 scrubber and it really didn't help much.
Due to the Cons of using Kalk, I'm not sure if I want to go that route.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

IMO, it's more important to raise it than to stabilize it.

What are the cons of limewater (kalkwasser) that concern you?

Outside air to the room or to a skimmer inlet can raise pH, as can CO2 scrubber air to a skimmer or more photosynthesis (like macroalgae in a refugium lit at night).

 

[Miami Reef]

The first step is properly calibrating the PH probe.

I would increase tank aeration (get heavy ripples on the surface of the water, use your skimmer.

If that doesn’t work, open some windows and see.

Use kalkwasser or 2 part with sodium hydroxide for the alkalinity part.

CO2 scrubbers should work. A combination of the above should certainly raise your PH.

 

[reeferdon]

The first step is properly calibrating the PH probe.

I would increase tank aeration (get heavy ripples on the surface of the water, use your skimmer.

If that doesn’t work, open some windows and see.

Use kalkwasser or 2 part with sodium hydroxide for the alkalinity part.

CO2 scrubbers should work. A combination of the above should certainly raise your PH.

Now that you mention caliber the PH probe, I may need to replace it. I'll try that.

My concern about kalkwasser is I've never used it.

 

[Miami Reef]

Now that you mention caliber the PH probe, I may need to replace it. I'll try that.

My concern about kalkwasser is I've never used it.

Why replace it? Calibrating it does not involve replacing.

 

[SPS2020]

Soda Ash will help raise pH a bit...if you are considering dosing for Alk and do not want to use Kalkwasser. IMO, Kalk is a bit of a pain to use.

 

[reeferdon]

Why replace it? Calibrating it does not involve replacing.

I'm replacing the probe because it's old and had dried before I put it in my tank. I did calibrate once.

 

[reeferdon]

I replaced the PH probe and calibrated it. What do you think.

 

[reeferdon]

I'm using a medical grade C02 media that seems to be more stable than the hobby grade media. However now it's on the high side 8.14.

 

[arking_mark]

Lessons learned in trying to maintain pH stability

For those interested in maintaining pH stability around +/- 0.05 I have a couple of lessons learned. These are things that I found out on my journey to pH stability. Prior to seeking pH stability my tank pH was consistently around ~7.9. However, much of this journey went on before the tank was...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I replaced the PH probe and calibrated it. What do you think.

When in that screenshot did you replace the probe?

The cycling looks pretty normal. A bit on the low side, but not a big deal unless max coral growth is the goal.

 

[ukgeoff]

I got the same issue with low PH, my tank bottomed out at around 7.68 daily. I dose all-for-reef which keeps everything else nicely balanced apart from my PH, my PH has always been low since starting the tank.

To get my PH right, I've decided to try the DIY kalkwasser method using Mrs Wages pickling powder https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/mrs-wages-pickling-lime.160538/

I just started adding this DIY kalk four days ago and in three days, my PH has increased from a minimum of 7.68 on Sunday morning to 7.95 this morning. I mixed one teaspoon of Mrs Wages to a gallon of RODI water, mixed it with a spare return pump for 6 hours and let it stand for 12 hours which separated the mix with a chalk white sediment on the bottom of the bucket and a film on the top of the water.

For my 30-gallon all-in-one tank, I'm using a doser to add around 700ml of this DIY mix directly into the filter section of my all-in-one tank daily. I used an old salt bucket to make my mix in, drilled a hole in the lid of it and slid my dosing tube through the hole in the lid so the tube is just above the settled sediment in the bucket. The lid is almost an airtight fit which keeps the kalk mix good and as it's only a gallon, I'll be making regular fresh kalk mix so I won't need to stir it.

I was also nervous about using kalk but so far it's been quite straightforward with instant positive results. On a side note, my alkalinity and calcium have increased slightly, so I've stopped dosing all-for-reef. I've only been dosing kalk for three days so I don't know what the long-term effect on my calcium and alkalinity will be - I'll keep a close eye on my water balance and adjust as needed. I found adding kalk to my tank has been pretty straightforward and glad I tried it out as it seems to be helping with my low PH issue.