Cant raise ph to save my life.

[Jake_the_reefer]

So every since I started my tank my ph has sat at 7.8 no matter what I do it will not go up. I have a protein skimmer, air stone, refugium, tried open windows and a fan blowing on the tank but even with just one person home (lower co2 production) the ph stays sitting at 7.8
What are other methods to easilly raise the ph? This is my only perameter that is giving me issues all the other ones are in a good range and stable.
I am also using api test for this and salifert/hanna for the rest. Could this be why?
Thank you for tips!

 

[Iván Olalla]

Kalkwasser and a co2 scrubber for your skimmer comes to mind

 

[AZMSGT]

How old is the tank?
1. Run your Skimmer air intake line outside.
2. Carbon dioxide scrubber

 

[W1ngz]

What time of day are you testing the ph? pH is cyclical daily. It drops gradually overnight, and ramps up again when the lights are on. The lowest is just before lights on, and highest reading will be when the light go out.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

What time of day are you testing the ph? pH is cyclical daily. It drops gradually overnight, and ramps up again when the lights are on. The lowest is just before lights on, and highest reading will be when the light go out.

I check 2 hours before lights out and 15 mins before I turn off the fuge light in the morning.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

How old is the tank?
1. Run your Skimmer air intake line outside.
2. Carbon dioxide scrubber

Like 9 to 10 months for this tank. I could try and run a line outside through the hole the internet guy drilled next to me tank. But that would lead to the crawlspace and not outside directly

 

[W1ngz]

If you're always getting 7.8 at both of those times, toss the API stuff. Even if you're getting different numbers, I'd toss the API stuff anyway...

For your own sanity, just forget about your pH unless you get a monitor or controller that will log it regularly.

 

[Mortie31]

This is my only perameter that is giving me issues

What issues is low ph giving you?

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

What issues is low ph giving you?

I've never bothered with ph but had a buddy of mine stress that I needed to get it up, so I assumed a ph of 7.8 was an issue.

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

If you're always getting 7.8 at both of those times, toss the API stuff. Even if you're getting different numbers, I'd toss the API stuff anyway...

For your own sanity, just forget about your pH unless you get a monitor or controller that will log it regularly.

Yeah, I've moved away from api this is my last remaining api they are a pain

 

[Sebae]

I've had a similar problem with low pH (7.7-7.9). Have you tried an outdoor aeration test? Take a small amount of water and put an aeration stone in it outside for about an hour and measure pH on that. If it goes up significantly, then elevated CO2 inside is certainly the issue. Mine jumped up to about 8.24 in 45 minutes.

My tank now runs at 8.1-8.35 over the course of the day. I have done 3 things to raise the pH on my 300 gallon system.

1) Maintain an alkalinity of 11.
2) Run my skimmer line outside (I am actually using two skimmer pumps as one wasn't cutting it).
3) 8.5 liters of kalkwasser dosed via a reactor per day.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[CS Reefer]

I was struggling with low PH at one time. A good friend taught me how to run two separate air lines outside. One for a air feed to my skimmer. The second line I use for micro bubbling through a limewood airstone. Next to no surface agitation, and I’m sitting steady at 8.4

Edit: At a dKh of 8

 

[Bayareareefer18]

I've never bothered with ph but had a buddy of mine stress that I needed to get it up, so I assumed a ph of 7.8 was an issue.

Plenty of people have success in the 7.8 range. The question is how does your tank look?

 

[JCOLE]

Kalkwasser in your ATO will easily do this. That is what I am doing and my pH does not fall under 8.15. Be careful though as if can raise it pretty quickly.

 

[CS Reefer]

Before you go raising your alkalinity to raise PH. See this chart, you want to be near the blue curve. The blue curve is a balanced system

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

Plenty of people have success in the 7.8 range. The question is how does your tank look?

Everything is looking happy and growing.

 

[CS Reefer]

Everything is looking happy and growing.

As long as you’re happy with it

 

[Jake_the_reefer]

As long as you’re happy with it

I'll probably run a line outside. Just need a place it has no chance of getting water from rain because the crawlspace will probably have loads of co2(unless it's well ventilated)

 

[CS Reefer]

I'll probably run a line outside. Just need a place it has no chance of getting water from rain because the crawlspace will probably have loads of co2(unless it's well ventilated)

Yes, all the way outside is best. I’ve seen people use covered plastic electrical boxes, for a nice looking installation, a little filter floss and activated carbon as a air filter can’t hurt.

 

[REEFer86]

So every since I started my tank my ph has sat at 7.8 no matter what I do it will not go up. I have a protein skimmer, air stone, refugium, tried open windows and a fan blowing on the tank but even with just one person home (lower co2 production) the ph stays sitting at 7.8
What are other methods to easilly raise the ph? This is my only perameter that is giving me issues all the other ones are in a good range and stable.
I am also using api test for this and salifert/hanna for the rest. Could this be why?
Thank you for tips!

Sounds like me!!!!! Until I started dosing Alkalinity then it rose.