High PH

[Bamzam]

Hi,

I have a 12 gallon tank. Params are steady ~410 Calcium, ~7.8 dkh, 1350 mag. I recently calibrated and installed a pH probe and I am getting high peak numbers. It gets as high as 8.8 at its peak. Coral and fish are all doing well and show no signs of anything wrong, but is this cause for long term concern?

Some key notes:
-I dose 2 part every morning. 2 ml of each, dosing spread apart by an hour.
-The batch of salt I currently use mixes to a low ph. Consistently mixes to 6.8 dkh. I add aquaforest kh plus to my fresh saltwater mix to match parameters before every water change. I'm doing water changes every Wednesday and Sunday.
-Light schedule has peak times from 2pm-10pm. 20% blues 10pm-11pm, 10% at 11pm then ramp down to zero by 1 am.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I expect it is most likely the pH calibration is off, but the tank could use more aeration (based on the size of the pH swing) and if the pH is actually that high, more aeration will bring down the peak.

 

[Nathan0369]

I'm just shocked you have an Apex on a 12 gallon tank.

 

[RamsReef]

I'm just shocked you have an Apex on a 12 gallon tank.

Why? I have one on a 20 gal. What is the cost of an apex (even used or jr) vs hundreds of dollars in coral. Def worh it to me, cant go without.

For me one EB8 controls 2 qt tanks and monitors them.

 

[Bamzam]

Thanks Randy! I forgot to mention, my tank is an AIO and the pH probe is in a back chamber with the return pump where there is no surface movement. Will that affect the reading at all or is it uniform throughout the tank? For flow I have a eheim 600 pump set to the max which I believe is 160 gph and a jebao rw4, both breaking the surface. I could try to increase the intensity on my rw4. If everything appears to be healthy, should I not be worried about it?

 

[Bamzam]

I'm just shocked you have an Apex on a 12 gallon tank.

Lol I got a good deal on a used one. So bought it in anticipation of upgrading to a bigger tank one day. My discus tank doesn't shine as bright as it used to now that I have a reef...

 

[Nathan0369]

I definitely see the need for monitoring, it's just a high price per gallon equation.

 

[RamsReef]

Redacted

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks Randy! I forgot to mention, my tank is an AIO and the pH probe is in a back chamber with the return pump where there is no surface movement. Will that affect the reading at all or is it uniform throughout the tank? For flow I have a eheim 600 pump set to the max which I believe is 160 gph and a jebao rw4, both breaking the surface. I could try to increase the intensity on my rw4. If everything appears to be healthy, should I not be worried about it?

Unless the flow through the overflow is very, very slow, the whole tank will be close to the same pH.

I wouldn't worry about it because I don't think it is real.