Dangers of high pH?

[morrisDR]

Hey Randy!
I always complain for a higher ph but now I finally got it. Well maybe it's gonna get to high...

I use a few things to keep my pH high
1. Kalkwasser in my ato
2. Dosing pH+ from reef zlments (probably contains sodium hydroxide)
3. CO2 scrubber

My pH is now 8.45-8.6 but I need to dose more phplus now so my pH will most likely go even more up.

I know this is maybe getting to high. But I would like to know if there are any dangers regarding for corals,clams and fish.

Also I know the danger if I don't dose for a day my alk will get extremely low.

 

[morrisDR]

In my tank I have: LPs,soft, als (including acropora) and a tridacna maxima.

 

[exnisstech]

I don't even really watch pH but wonder why you need to does more phplus if it's already higher than you want

 

[Lemons]

You might have a calcium deposition event with pH that high ???

Ps anything that claims to boost pH will add alk

 

[morrisDR]

I don't even really watch pH but wonder why you need to does more phplus if it's already higher than you want

Because because pH is that high my corals are consuming more alk so more phplus dosing . The pH has only recently went up that's why

 

[morrisDR]

You might have a calcium deposition event with pH that high ???

Ps anything that claims to boost pH will add alk

Nope, I dose the two part and kalkwasser under extremely high flow maybe thats why. I understand that it increases alk to, I have a kh keeper to keep alk at 9.3-9.5

 

[Lemons]

Nope, I dose the two part and kalkwasser under extremely high flow maybe thats why

Ehhh flow matters for mixing but once things start to drop out of solution, it doesnt matter how well its mixed initially. How many corals do you have in the tank?

Because you could just be feeding into calcium crystals forming... if the livestock isnt absorbing it that is

 

[morrisDR]

Ehhh flow matters for mixing but once things start to drop out of solution, it doesnt matter how well its mixed initially. How many corals do you have in the tank?

Because you could just be feeding into calcium crystals forming... if the livestock isnt absorbing it that is

My whole tank is stuffed with corals. It's a 100 gallon tank. Even in the sump I have a light that goes on every night (to balans pH) with corals in it. My calcium is actually not really on the high number, I used to dose rowa kalkwasser and it was 500+ but with deltec kalkwasser it's just normal range maybe even a little bit on the lower.

 

[Lemons]

My whole tank is stuffed with corals. It's a 100 gallon tank. Even in the sump I have a light that goes on every night (to balans pH) with corals in it. My calcium is actually not really on the high number, I used to dose rowa kalkwasser and it was 500+ but with deltec kalkwasser it's just normal range maybe even a little bit on the lower.

Hmm then id say as long as you're not turning your sand into rock i say you're just fine

I dont think theres like any really deadly downside to high pH, maybe besides faster coral growth lol

 

[exnisstech]

Because because pH is that high my corals are consuming more alk so more phplus dosing . The pH has only recently went up that's why

OK I'm not Familiar with pHplus, the name implies it raises pH not alk. My bad
EDIT :I'm. Probably confused but that's nothing new

 

[morrisDR]

OK I'm not Familiar with pHplus, the name implies it raises pH not alk. My bad

It's a ballingmethod, just like all for reef or aquaforest components but has a pH boost benefit so it does actually increase alkalinity l. But that's not something I'm worried about because I got a kh keeper. If my ato would dose more kalkwasser I'm dossing less phplus.

 

[morrisDR]

If there is no big issue I will just keep pH stable at a high level . Don't care about money if my torch grows twice as fast I'm getting my money back easily

 

[Gtinnel]

I wouldn’t want to go any higher than what you currently have for pH levels. If worried that you will have to take the pH too high to meet your alkalinity demand why not just use an additive to partially maintain alkalinity that doesn’t increase pH, like sodium bicarbonate solution. Or switch the pHplus to a sodium carbonate solution. It would supplement alkalinity and not raise your pH as much as sodium hydroxide.

 

[morrisDR]

I wouldn’t want to go any higher than what you currently have for pH levels. If worried that you will have to take the pH too high to meet your alkalinity demand why not just use an additive to partially maintain alkalinity that doesn’t increase pH, like sodium bicarbonate solution. Or switch the pHplus to a sodium carbonate solution. It would supplement alkalinity and not raise your pH as much as sodium hydroxide.

I fully agree. I will just stop my CO2 scrubber or I will just stop using kalk or stop using phplus. But I haven't heard of any danger regarding a sky high pH so I would like to know if there are even any bad things

 

[Gtinnel]

I fully agree. I will just stop my CO2 scrubber or I will just stop using kalk or stop using phplus. But I haven't heard of any danger regarding a sky high pH so I would like to know if there are even any bad things

I’m sure Randy will chime in eventually but I believe he has mentioned that a pH can be too high if increased with chemical means. I have seen Randy recommend a range that maxes out at around 8.6, but I have no idea what happens to the tank inhabitants if it goes too high.

 

[morrisDR]

I’m sure Randy will chime in eventually but I believe he has mentioned that a pH can be too high if increased with chemical means. I have seen Randy recommend a range that maxes out at around 8.6, but I have no idea what happens to the tank inhabitants if it goes too high.

Thank you. There was also a guy who has ph between 8.5-8.7 here:


I'm just still Wondering what would happen if it goes to 8.8 or above

 

[Gtinnel]

Thank you. There was also a guy who has ph between 8.5-8.7 here:


I'm just still Wondering what would happen if it goes to 8.8 or above

I tried to find somewhere that Randy mentioned what happens with a really high pH and all I was able to find was him saying that the biggest issue is increased precipitation of calcium carbonate.

 

[Adam0507]

Hi, if you need to boost your alk but don't want to boost your pH much further you can mix the zlements standard dosing product with the phplus 50/50 and then you effectively limit the rise in your pH while being able to dose more buffer for your alk. The standard product does still boost your pH but nowhere near as much as the specific phplus product

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

As folks have mentioned, in a normal reef tank, high pH is limited by the precipitation of calcium carbonate. That process lowers pH. It goes faster and faster as the pH rises, and if one tries to push it high enough, the tank will turn white like milk as calcium carbonate rapidly precipitates throughout the water column (such as in a limewater/kalkwasser overdose; I've done that several times).

Other effect can include faster calcification by corals. I do not know what pH that peaks at, and I do not know if it is possible to find the peak before the above described precipitation takes over.


Some types of algae (macroalgae and microalgae) get CO2 from CO2/carbonic acid instead of bicarbonate or carbonate, and they grow more slowly at higher pH. This effect might also impact other photosynthetic organisms we keep.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hi, if you need to boost your alk but don't want to boost your pH much further you can mix the zlements standard dosing product with the phplus 50/50 and then you effectively limit the rise in your pH while being able to dose more buffer for your alk. The standard product does still boost your pH but nowhere near as much as the specific phplus product

Simple baking soda allows you to boost alk and not pH.