Help with low potassium, and low ph

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

More aeration with indoor air won't necessarily raise pH if the air in the home has elevated CO2 in it.

 

[Joeganja]

More aeration with indoor air won't necessarily raise pH if the air in the home has elevated CO2 in it.

I am doing the aeration test method you proposed in your article. I tested my ph in tank it was 7.5 and then I placed a cup of water being aerated outside with a bubbler for an hour and saw my ph rise to 8. Now I am doing the same thing with a fresh cup of tank water inside my house.

 

[Joeganja]

More aeration with indoor air won't necessarily raise pH if the air in the home has elevated CO2 in it.

So after testing indoor the ph comes to be the same as it is in the aquarium which means I have excessive carbon dioxide in my home. Idk what to do now. I still have the co2 absorption media running.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Did the CO2 scrubber with inside air have any beneficial effect? I may have been unclear as it should help using inside sir, but an alternative to it is outside air.

Options include more fresh air in the home, growing macroalgae, and using limewater for alk and calcium.

 

[Joeganja]

Did the CO2 scrubber with inside air have any beneficial effect? I may have been unclear as it should help using inside sir, but an alternative to it is outside air.

Options include more fresh air in the home, growing macroalgae, and using limewater for alk and calcium.

I really don't wanna use kalkwasser as a month ago I bought a bubble magus dosing pump and j got brs2 part. I'm trying to go with cheapest solution possible. I can't keep adding new equipment.

 

[Joeganja]

Did the CO2 scrubber with inside air have any beneficial effect? I may have been unclear as it should help using inside sir, but an alternative to it is outside air.

Options include more fresh air in the home, growing macroalgae, and using limewater for alk and calcium.

I use a lot of calcium daily about 20ml a day

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I use a lot of calcium daily about 20ml a day

You are also dosing ~20 mL of the alk part?

 

[Joeganja]

You are also dosing ~20 mL of the alk part?

No I have to hold off on dosing alk because the ph buffer I use brings it up.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What buffer brand?

The alk part of the BRS two part (if that is what you would use, sodium carbonate) has a substantially higher pH raising effect than any true buffer (although I would not be surprised if some manufacturers incorrectly referred to sodium carbonate as a buffer).

 

[Joeganja]

What buffer brand?

The alk part of the BRS two part (if that is what you would use, sodium carbonate) has a substantially higher pH raising effect than any true buffer (although I would not be surprised if some manufacturers incorrectly referred to sodium carbonate as a buffer).

Aquavitro balance and seachem reef buffer. I used alkalinity through the brs 2 part but had my alkalinity going to 10+ and pH still staying around 7.5

 

[kschweer]

How do your corals look? If they are doing well and you're not having any issues I wouldn't chase pH numbers. Many times more harm than good comes from it.

 

[Joeganja]

How do your corals look? If they are doing well and you're not having any issues I wouldn't chase pH numbers. Many times more harm than good comes from it.

All my Acros haven't been affected but I still daily dose balance cuz the pH drops. However any chalices I add to the tank lose their tissue and such but all my other corals like my torches, montis, Acros, and everything else does fine. The reason I want to bring pH up to 8.0 which is difficult to do because it drops quickly is because I want the calcification process to be stable and work quicker.

 

[kschweer]

All my Acros haven't been affected but I still daily dose balance cuz the pH drops. However any chalices I add to the tank lose their tissue and such but all my other corals like my torches, montis, Acros, and everything else does fine. The reason I want to bring pH up to 8.0 which is difficult to do because it drops quickly is because I want the calcification process to be stable and work quicker.

Chalices can be finicky corals in my experience. I doubt that the pH is the issue with them especially if everything else does well. Any chance you can run your skimmer air intake to draw air from outside?

 

[cjd]

How do your corals look? If they are doing well and you're not having any issues I wouldn't chase pH numbers. Many times more harm than good comes from it.

I agree , you are chasing a PH number of a color change test kit. Its a ball park result at best. Is 7.5 really 7.5 ? All my tanks run 7.8 - 8.1 throughout the day cycle. and that's tested with a calibrated pin point PH monitor. Your tank probably is running on the lower end of the acceptable range and I 'm sure its not too low. Chasing PH can do more harm then good, your tank will run at what it runs at and remember PH varies throughout the day lowest in the morning before lights come on and highest before lights go out. So keep that in mind when you are testing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Aquavitro balance and seachem reef buffer. I used alkalinity through the brs 2 part but had my alkalinity going to 10+ and pH still staying around 7.5

Balance is certainly a very high pH alkalinity supplement choice (higher than sodium carbonate by about a factor of 2) and may be a good choice.

Seachem Reef Buffer is not the best bet. It has a much lower pH raising effect than sodium carbonate.

The Balance is much better from a pH raising perspective (exactly like limewater/kalkwasser), and sodium carbonate of any brand would be second best.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Just make sure you are dosing Balance based on alkalinity needs, not pH. It is an unbelievably stupid description by Aquavitro to say it does not impact alkalinity, because it obviously does. Never add any if alk is where you want it (or higher).

 

[Joeganja]

Just make sure you are dosing Balance based on alkalinity needs, not pH. It is an unbelievably stupid description by Aquavitro to say it does not impact alkalinity, because it obviously does. Never add any if alk is where you want it (or higher).

Can I use balance in a dosing pump? I'm dosing about 20ml a day and my alkalinity is steady around 9.2-9.3.

 

[Joeganja]

Just make sure you are dosing Balance based on alkalinity needs, not pH. It is an unbelievably stupid description by Aquavitro to say it does not impact alkalinity, because it obviously does. Never add any if alk is where you want it (or higher).

already turning pink.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Can I use balance in a dosing pump? I'm dosing about 20ml a day and my alkalinity is steady around 9.2-9.3.

Yes, that will be fine as long as it doses slowly.

 

[Joeganja]

Yes, that will be fine as long as it doses slowly.

When should I replace the media for the co2 scrubber