Chasing Ph

[oscar14]

Hey there, I have a Nuvo 10. It’s been up for 4 months now parameters are in check. My only issue is my Ph. I’m trying to reach that 8.3 or close enough. I’ve had windows opened constantly, but Ph maxes out at 8.0 The main issue is that Ph goes down to 7.7 at night. I’ve added an air stone to the back of my overflow simply to help raise it. It has helped but I want to take a step further. My ALK is at 8.3 and right now my consumption is about .2 I have zoas, LPS and I’m getting into SPS. I have montiporas, stylophoras and birds nest. They are growing, but I would like to achieve better growth and get into Acropora a as well. I want to raise and maintain a stable Ph as most as possible. I was thinking about dosing Kalkwasser but I’m not sure how much to dose throughout the day. Feel free to thrown me any suggestions.

 

[Reefer40b]

What are you using to dose to keep your alk at 8.3? If not using soda ash then try that as it boost ph

 

[oscar14]

What are you using to dose to keep your alk at 8.3? If not using soda ash then try that as it boost ph

I just do weekly water changes. I have 5 SPS frags (non acros) and lps frags. Is soda ash like Kalkwasser?

 

[Reefer40b]

I just do weekly water changes. I have 5 SPS frags (non acros) and lps frags. Is soda ash like Kalkwasser?

No not like kalkwasser. It mixes into a solution that is fully disolved, you then use a dosing pump to dose to the tank the set amount of ml you desire. Sodium Carbonate

 

[oscar14]

No not like kalkwasser. It mixes into a solution that is fully disolved, you then use a dosing pump to dose to the tank the set amount of ml you desire. Sodium Carbonate

Glad you mentioned it, wasn’t familiar with it. Just searched up more about it and seems more safe to use IMO. Kalkwasser just seems like a plug in, monitor and hopefully you didn’t overdose.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

No need to chase pH. As your tank matures it will naturally rise. 8 is respectable. You start chasing it with lime water you'll more than likely run into more severe issues. Just let it happen naturally... enjoy the ride.

 

[HuduVudu]

If you don't have good water flow especially at the surface then the CO2 won't outgas quickly. If you have fish then their respiration will cause the PH to drop. Also biological activity from the fish excrement will also cause a downward push on your PH.

 

[oscar14]

No need to chase pH. As your tank matures it will naturally rise. 8 is respectable. You start chasing it with lime water you'll more than likely run into more severe issues. Just let it happen naturally... enjoy the ride.

What about when it comes to night time? Ph drops at 7.7 that’s the lowest it’s measured. Should I just run the air stone as I have been doing?

 

[HuduVudu]

Glad you mentioned it, wasn’t familiar with it. Just searched up more about it and seems more safe to use IMO. Kalkwasser just seems like a plug in, monitor and hopefully you didn’t overdose.

You know very quickly if you have overdosed on Kalkwasser. If you do the drip methods as are outlined you literally can not overdose Kalkwasser.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

FYI if you use soda ash to raise and keep ph up you better Believe your alkalinity will also skyrocket so be aware of this and most likely using soda ash will not work for what you’re trying to do

 

[oscar14]

You know very quickly if you have overdosed on Kalkwasser. If you do the drip methods as are outlined you literally can not overdose Kalkwasser.

The confusing part of the dripping method to me is if the dripping has to be constant? How exactly do I know the dosage?

 

[HuduVudu]

The confusing part of the dripping method to me is if the dripping has to be constant? How exactly do I know the dosage?

It is best to use a doser. Some people use needle valves. Either way works.

Also if you are planning on doing Kalk, getting some sort of reactor really helps ease the messiness of it.

To your question, you don't know the dosage. The problem with calculating dosage is that the tank responds to your dosing and things move around. Just be aware of that.

Because you are dosing Kalk with evaporation for your tank, it is best to take a low number from the amount evaporated and use that. E.g. my tank evaps about 1.7 liters a day, so I dose about 500 ml of Kalkwasser a day. Then I monitor Alk to see if this is enough if it is too much back down if not enough boost up.

Just be aware if your corals start to get going then the Kalk won't be enough. The good news though is that Kalk cuts down on how much you have to dose and this cuts down other issues that come with dosing, so you can continue to dose Kalk with no problem. This is a good thing.

 

[oscar14]

It is best to use a doser. Some people use needle valves. Either way works.

Also if you are planning on doing Kalk, getting some sort of reactor really helps ease the messiness of it.

To your question, you don't know the dosage. The problem with calculating dosage is that the tank responds to your dosing and things move around. Just be aware of that.

Because you are dosing Kalk with evaporation for your tank, it is best to take a low number from the amount evaporated and use that. E.g. my tank evaps about 1.7 liters a day, so I dose about 500 ml of Kalkwasser a day. Then I monitor Alk to see if this is enough if it is too much back down if not enough boost up.

Just be aware if your corals start to get going then the Kalk won't be enough. The good news though is that Kalk cuts down on how much you have to dose and this cuts down other issues that come with dosing, so you can continue to dose Kalk with no problem. This is a good thing.

Thanks, that helps understand better. It’s simply dosing and seeing how your tank reacts to it. I will be doing Kalk with a drip system not through ATO though. Also do any of you know if a CO2 scrubber is achievable without a protein skimmer?

 

[HuduVudu]

Thanks, that helps understand better. It’s simply dosing and seeing how your tank reacts to it. I will be doing Kalk with a drip system not through ATO though. Also do any of you know if a CO2 scrubber is achievable without a protein skimmer?

You could use your air pump for your air stone. Just have the input to the pump pull from the scrubber.

 

[EMeyer]

The variation you describe in your tank matches the levels seen on natural coral reefs. Where it also drops at night and rises during the daytime.

 

[oscar14]

You could use your air pump for your air stone. Just have the input to the pump pull from the scrubber.

I

You could use your air pump for your air stone. Just have the input to the pump pull from the scrubber.
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You could use your air pump for your air stone. Just have the input to the pump pull from the scrubber.

I’m going to try this hopefully it works. I know I shouldn’t stress over but I really want to reach that 8.3

 

[oscar14]

The variation you describe in your tank matches the levels seen on natural coral reefs. Where it also drops at night and rises during the daytime.

7.7 is too low isn’t it?

 

[Sdot]

Get a Co2 Scrubber...thank me later.

 

[Maximitsurugi]

Some persons modify the back of theAIO and put a light on the back to grow chaeto. That helps with nutrients as well as, if tun on a reverse cycle, stabilizes nightly ph drop.

 

[EMeyer]

7.7 is too low isn’t it?

Thats not unusual for nighttime on a reef. Pretty much all reefs I can find records for go down to 7.8-7.9 at night. Some go down lower than 7.7.

When was the last time you calibrated your probe with two standard solutions (pH 7 and pH 10)? Probes drift over time and need recalibration.

At only 0.1 units lower than expected for a nighttime pH I wouldnt do anything to change it...