Do I need to test PH for coral growth?

[Miami Reef]

I never tested my tank’s PH in my life. My stony corals are doing pretty well. They grow (but never fast enough).

I maintain my alkalinity and calcium higher with soda ash dosed every hour during daylight to have stable and higher PH during the day.

I am curious about my tank’s PH, but I noticed from reefers with an apex how PH can change at any minute and it will probably make me cross the line into obsessively chasing numbers (which I don’t want).

Coralline algae grows fast. Would I need to monitor PH?

Another reason I don’t want to monitor PH is because there’s pretty much nothing I can do if it’s. I can’t run an airline to outside. I don’t have space for a refugium. I can’t stop myself from breathing near the tank.

Seems like a pointless endeavor to even start messing with PH test kits.

What do you think?

 

[Miami Reef]

Bonus question: I’m only dosing soda ash during day time. If I had to guess, I would assume my PH would have a harsh drop at night time.

I am able to adjust my dosing to be around the clock, but will that change anything into my coral’s growth?

I just want my sps to grow fast.

Alk 9.5
Phosphates 0.1

^ that’s my goal parameters. My phosphates were pretty low, which probably contributed to lower than average coral growth.

 

[Darren in Tacoma]

I think knowing is not a bad thing, but since you already stated there is nothing you can or will change regardless of the number you get, it seems it would only be used to satisfy your curiosity, although it is still a good test to have available in the event that your tank develops a problem and you need to troubleshoot.

 

[kittenbritches]

Eh, probably not, especially if it will lead to chasing rainbows. Buuuut...I'm the type who wants to know.

I test my pH when testing other parameters because it's fast and I like knowing it's stable. Since it doesn't swing and is in the ideal range for coral growth, I give myself a little pat on the back and carry on.

 

[tonyc247]

The LFS recommended not checking PH since it fluctuates throughout the day. As long as my Kh is stable, I am good (per the LFS). Anyone agree or disagree?

 

[mdb_talon]

The LFS recommended not checking PH since it fluctuates throughout the day. As long as my Kh is stable, I am good (per the LFS). Anyone agree or disagree?

Personally I like the PH to be as stable as possible so I guess I disagree. I have found I can keep both PH and alk reasonable stable by dosing alk 19 times a day. The few hours at the end of my brightest photoperiod i do not dose alk. I also use a reverse lit refugium which helps with PH stability quite a bit.

My personal observation is this has helped my growth. Whether that is all in my head though I have no idea I certainly did not follow the scientific method....more of an eyeball test

I also use a PH probe with an alarm. This is not so much for monitoring PH but because it tells me I probably have an issue with doser if my PH goes above 8.4. It saved me once when i screwed up and had doser higher than tank and it was siphoning alk into the tank and PH shot through the roof. Luckily i was home and alarm went off and i fixed it before any real issue.

 

[Totroc3]

I recently bought a friends reef that has an Apex. The pH monitoring has taught me that the simple act of cracking a window in my tank room can raise pH dramatically. I have seen my pH go from 8.1 to 8.25 consistently. Prior to getting the Apex I had no idea. The OP stated that the pH changes at any minute but I have found very consistent patterns in my tank where the pH starts the day at 7.9 and goes up all day and peaks at 8.25 then as the lights dim it drops slowly and repeats. I’m sure others have different patters but that’s what I’m seeing in my tanks. I also dose 2 part 24 hours a day using my Neptune DOS.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

The LFS recommended not checking PH since it fluctuates throughout the day. As long as my Kh is stable, I am good (per the LFS). Anyone agree or disagree?

The key here is to test your pH at the same time every day, planning for a high typically right before your lights start to ramp down and a low right before they start to ramp up. Of course there are things that might cause numbers to bounce up and down between those two points but testing those two times should give you a good picture of your range.

 

[ChuckTownReefer]

You can drip kalk slury thats keeps my PH in around 8.35-8.45 during the day then I let it fall during the night down to 8.10ish but never below 8. I use a 2.5 Gallon bucket with a power head on the side of the bucket other inside then I add 2 Gallons of RODI water and and 1 cup of kalkwasser. The power head keeps the kalkwasser suspended in the water. And I have a kamoer pro T Continuous stepper pump slow drip around 2ml a minute. I start the does 1 hour before the lights come on.

In the pictures you can see when I turned off the power head and it was dripping just Saturated kalk. That high spot is with the power head running and dripping cloudy kalk milk. I can send you some links to other people that are doing the same thing.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

I dose kalk slurry have no plans for calcium reactor ever.... even on the larger tank i am setting up... Don't need to test PH either...

 

[arking_mark]

I chased stable pH, but I'm not sure it was worth the work. I was looking to go ULM and it does add a bit of equipment and maintenance. Additionally, it still is susceptible to when something goes offline.

 

[PeterC99]

Do you NEED to test pH for coral growth? No. SHOULD you test pH for coral growth? Absolutely.

You will see significant coral growth with higher pH’s. There are a number of things you can do to increase pH but it all starts with knowing what your pH is.

 

[fryman]

I think it's generally agreed that higher pH increases stony coral growth, up to at least 8.5. However when you have coral there's significant day/night swings ime up to +0.4 pH (i.e. 8.1 at night to 8.5 at full lighting).

I've been dosing kalk and using a recirculating co2 scrubber on my skimmer at night which allows me to reduce the pH swing to <0.1. But I'm not sure this helps honestly. pH dropping at night may not matter if there's minimal coral growth at night? I don't know if that's the case.

 

[kingjames_dc5]

Good read if you have time.

Alkalinity stability? pH stability? Are they even different?

It is currently the dogma of the reef aquarium hobby to say that alkalinity stability is very important for SPS corals, and that pH is not. Often, the very idea of someone trying to optimize pH is called “chasing numbers” as if that statement by itself shows it to be foolish. Since I have...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Miami Reef]

Does anyone recommend a good PH test? Something very accurate?

I will say that it just clicked that I run my chiller outside. I was initially afraid of having low PH, but now I’m genuinely curious on what it is.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Does anyone recommend a good PH test? Something very accurate?

I will say that it just clicked that I run my chiller outside. I was initially afraid of having low PH, but now I’m genuinely curious on what it is.

I recommend a pH probe, not a kit. Two point calibration is needed. There are huge number of acceptable products.

 

[X-37B]

My ph varies from 7.9-8.2, night vs day, which is similar to the ocean. I test it with a ph probe once a month at best.
I also run a carx which if tuned right has very little impact on ph in my system.
I do not feel it needs to be monitored daily but I dont use any form of controller either.

 

[Miami Reef]

I recommend a pH probe, not a kit. Two point calibration is needed. There are huge number of acceptable products.

Is that orange Hannah checker acceptable?

 

[crvz]

An argument for knowing your pH.

I was running a calcium reactor on my tank for 11 years. It was ok, but my pH was in the 7.8 - 8.1 range at best. Switched to two part dosing earlier this year, pH moved into the 8.1-8.4 range. I’ve noticed a handful of stony corals with marked growth improvement so in my mind it’s good to keep an eye on pH, and that BRS video will tell you that higher pH will allow for quicker calcification.

 

[Miami Reef]

An argument for knowing your pH.

I was running a calcium reactor on my tank for 11 years. It was ok, but my pH was in the 7.8 - 8.1 range at best. Switched to two part dosing earlier this year, pH moved into the 8.1-8.4 range. I’ve noticed a handful of stony corals with marked growth improvement so in my mind it’s good to keep an eye on pH, and that BRS video will tell you that higher pH will allow for quicker calcification.

Thank you. I actually am awaiting my PH tester.

I initially purchased the white egg hannah PH checker. But it was faulty (showing 8.6 while blinking). So tomorrow is arriving my Hannah PH pin point.

I dose 2 part with soda ash which apparently elevates PH. My corals are fine, but they aren’t growing nor using as much 2 part as I’d hoped they would.

I’m curious to know if my PH is the cause, the past dino bloom (now cyano), or something else is the cause.

One step at a time. First, PH

next, ICP (results coming this week)

If both results show normal, I’d assume my previously 0.00 nutrients followed by dinos was the culprit.