Cycle nearly finished.. But low ph throughout

[Defff21]

So I've been cycling my tank a few weeks now and I should be ready to add livestock soon.. I buy my saltwater ready mixed and its perfect but ph is 7 my tanks ph has never been above 7.. People say don't chase ph but this is far too low.. I've tried adding baking soda but to no avail.. Is there better ways to go about this.. There is plenty of surface agitation in my tank so I don't thinkbits co2? I have no way of testing

 

[Quietman]

Yup...7 is bad. Don't get fish yet. What test are you using to read pH?

 

[phatduckk]

are the lights off? That can contribute to it. do you have a skimmer running?

my cycle ended with my ph kinda low too. I also had really high nitrate so I did a 50% water change and things stabilized

 

[W1ngz]

Have you checked the salinity of the water? A pH of 7 is neutral, and more indicative of a bucket full of fresh water, not salt.

Just because you buy it pre-mixed, doesn't mean you should assume it's perfect. Confirm the salinity and the alkalinity to get to the source of your low pH.

 

[Quietman]

Wait a sec...re read your original. You buy ready mixed saltwater. What is it's pH before you put it in tank?

 

[phatduckk]

Wait a sec...re read your original. You buy ready mixed saltwater. What is it's pH before you put it in tank?

woah. ya, sorry, I skipped right over that part

 

[Defff21]

Have you checked the salinity of the water? A pH of 7 is neutral, and more indicative of a bucket full of fresh water, not salt.

Just because you buy it pre-mixed, doesn't mean you should assume it's perfect. Confirm the salinity and the alkalinity to get to the source of your low pH.

My Kh is at 10 and I'm yet to check the salinity il but a refractometre tomorrow... But let's assume it is perfect... What next?
Thanks for reply

 

[Defff21]

Wait a sec...re read your original. You buy ready mixed saltwater. What is it's pH before you put it in tank?

Ph 7

 

[W1ngz]

ut let's assume it is perfect... What next?

Next is to confirm how you're testing the pH. To my knowledge, a pH of 7 isn't possible in aerated salt water with a KH of 10, unless you've added acid to it or have insanely high CO2 in the air.

 

[Quietman]

Ah. I would suggest you test for Alk/Ca/Mg..well everything as that's not right if it's mixed with any directions I've seen.

If Alk/Ca and salinity come out normal with temp then I'd go with pH test. If drops those aren't really accurate, if probe then calibrate it.

 

[Defff21]

Next is to confirm how you're testing the pH. To my knowledge, a pH of 7 isn't possible in aerated salt water with a KH of 10, unless you've added acid to it or have insanely high CO2 in the air.

I'm using drops for my PH could this be the reason? Same for kh.. I can't imagine the salinity being off in my store its really reputable but I will of course be buying a refractometre anyway.. And a ph probe for sure ??

 

[Defff21]

Thanks everyone for the responses
This is my first tank and very frustrating.

 

[Quietman]

Not at all...this shouldn't be frustrating...this is the fun part. Frustrating is this happening with hundreds dollars of livestock dying. So have fun, dang it!

And we're more than happy to help. Please let us know what you find out and if you need anything else on the journey.

 

[W1ngz]

I'm using drops for my PH

They all use drops in some way or other... What brand of test kit? The direction I'm going is to double check the testing procedure you're using. Often I've found the written directions confusing, and it's helpful for someone new to check youtube for a video demo of how to run the test, including how to accurately measure the sample size with the syringe.

 

[Defff21]

They all use drops in some way or other... What brand of test kit? The direction I'm going is to double check the testing procedure you're using. Often I've found the written directions confusing, and it's helpful for someone new to check youtube for a video demo of how to run the test, including how to accurately measure the sample size with the syringe.

Jbl master test kit.. Reviews where pretty good... I've read instructions many times I'm testing right.. So reccomend I buy a more accurate PH test? And refractometre Cal/mg also?

 

[Quietman]

I'm not a big fan of drops for pH (and I'm not a test snob - API tests are fine for most things in my opinion if you're not running ULN system). I'd recommend a pH pen (they're usually cheaper than probes with separate readers (PinPoint for example although those a very good) and more convenient. Plus some are waterproof and the Pinpoint is not (as I found out the second day I had it). Also, most include temp (which is nice...can't have enough temp readings from different sources).

And pH isn't really something you need to constantly monitor at first. One, you can't do much about it and two, you shouldn't chase pH numbers. But you do need to check it and get a feel for how your tank responds to day/night shifts. But once you know that it really doesn't change much day to day and weekly test is fine. Once you decide on Ca/Alk dosing type, constant monitoring maybe something you want to do at some point.

Edited:
Should've given reason. You can calibrate a pen to known standards ($1 for packets of 7.0 and 10.0 samples) and ensure you're getting an accurate reading as possible. I suppose you could also test your drops that way as well.

 

[W1ngz]

Jbl master test kit.. Reviews where pretty good... I've read instructions many times I'm testing right.. So reccomend I buy a more accurate PH test? And refractometre Cal/mg also?

Their tests look like they are specific to freshwater or saltwater, but with the name you've given I can't determine what you have. Is it possible you're using a freshwater ph test?

Water test

JBL is your expert for aquaristics, pond & terraristics. Discover our product diversity and comprehensive information.

www.jbl.de

 

[Gabriel Trifa]

I have used jbl pro Aqua test kit for my fresh water tank... After a few test i trashed it and bought some tests from salifert seemed to me they are more acurate then the ones from jbl.. But that is just ME.

 

[Defff21]

Their tests look like they are specific to freshwater or saltwater, but with the name you've given I can't determine what you have. Is it possible you're using a freshwater ph test?

Water test

JBL is your expert for aquaristics, pond & terraristics. Discover our product diversity and comprehensive information.

www.jbl.de

Called the Jbl Pro aquatest combiset.. I just realised it does actually have freshwater discus on the front .. But the ph reading goes from 3-10 so it should work regardless I assume.. Either way I'm going to buy all new test kits tomorrow haha and il get back to yous
Thank you.

 

[Defff21]

Their tests look like they are specific to freshwater or saltwater, but with the name you've given I can't determine what you have. Is it possible you're using a freshwater ph test?

Water test

JBL is your expert for aquaristics, pond & terraristics. Discover our product diversity and comprehensive information.

www.jbl.de

Yep I checked online and the ph test kit works for fresh water or saltwater but I'm going to buy some salifert tests tomorrow