How important is ph in a reef tank

[Jack Sparrow]

I have a five gallon reef tank with 3 corals, candy cane, dunken, and kenya tree, and fish and shrimp to. I am having some problems with hair algea and have put some dragons tough macro algea in the display. I want mpre macro algea and am wondering how important ph is beacuse I dont want to get a refugium just for reverse daylight stuff to stabalise ph. So if i add a ball of cheato to my display is my ph gunna go out of wak and kill my tank.

 

[Brew12]

I have a five gallon reef tank with 3 corals, candy cane, dunken, and kenya tree, and fish and shrimp to. I am having some problems with hair algea and have put some dragons tough macro algea in the display. I want mpre macro algea and am wondering how important ph is beacuse I dont want to get a refugium just for reverse daylight stuff to stabalise ph. So if i add a ball of cheato to my display is my ph gunna go out of wak and kill my tank.

pH is important, but a wide range with reasonable swings can work in a reef tank. You may not get optimal growth, but I wouldn't expect any significant problems.

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

Dont chase pH whatever you do. You can maintain good pH levels with stable correct alkalinity levels. If your pH is too low its usually down to carbon dioxide accumulating inside your home. In that case opening some windows near your tank could help.

 

[LEOreefer]

Ive noticed increased growth at levels around 8.3 vs levels around 7.8. At the lower PH level my corals looked great but never really got any bigger, once I added my co2 scrubber I saw notable growth .

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Dont chase pH whatever you do.

lol

Or perhaps, just learn appropriate ways to chase it if that is your goal.

 

[LEOreefer]

lol

Or perhaps, just learn appropriate ways to chase it if that is your goal.

I deff see a difference in growth when my PH is 8.3 vs 7.8. But I agree 100% with randy chase it right. Dont use the PH buffers and what not. I will be hooking up a co2 reactor today as my ph on a good day is 7.9 at its max

 

[Brew12]

I deff see a difference in growth when my PH is 8.3 vs 7.8. But I agree 100% with randy chase it right. Dont use the PH buffers and what not. I will be hooking up a co2 reactor today as my ph on a good day is 7.9 at its max

I'm a pH chaser.

I used to use a CO2 scrubber but now dose Kalkwasser 70 something times a day.

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

lol

Or perhaps, just learn appropriate ways to chase it if that is your goal.

Correct alk is usually the best way to do this. I meant by adding pH bffers to fast which is what I did once.

 

[Brew12]

Correct alk is usually the best way to do this. I meant by adding pH bffers to fast which is what I did once.

Actually, the best way to chase pH is via CO2 content.

 

[lbacha]

Actually, the best way to chase pH is via CO2 content.

I use my refugium to help control ph. My fuge lights turn on any time my PH drops below 8.2, I have dual grow lights on it so I can run one all the time and the other is used to help strip CO2 and therefore boost ph

 

[User1]

Not going to chase it here but was going to piggy back a second question has to when should you start trying to correct? I have a 210 that is using 150 lbs of dry pukani that finished cycling the first week of March. Last weekend I moved my 40 breeder over and everything is fine. After reading a few of the threads this one caught my eye so figured more out of curiosity when is it considered an issue. I've gone back from the start of my cycle in January through April and see it always hovered between 7.3 and 7.8. This is one of those things that I'm usually not concerned about but so far the history is showing it low and not really rising. I am going to try the open window trick but that isn't something that will fly in the summer months here in California.

I was considering adding kalswasser of some makeup to my auto top off water has long has it won't hurt my Neptune ATO pump. Previous tank I used to dose using Mr. Wages Pickling Lime. I guess I better head over to the chemical forum and see what to use now in my top off that is safe and easy to make if I'm out of town.

 

[Brew12]

it always hovered between 7.3 and 7.8.

Let me start by saying that this isn't possible. A pH of 7.3 would dissolve your rock. I'm not sure how you are measuring pH but it looks like you have some testing errors.

As for when is it worth it? I feel it is a cost analysis. How hard would it be to run an airline from your skimmer to outside? If that is fairly easy, then it is worth it if your pH is below 8. I wouldn't use a CO2 scrubber unless my pH was below 7.8. I love the kalk dosing, so I would recommend that if your pH is under 8.2.

Yes, those numbers are very arbitrary. It's just my opinion on it.

 

[User1]

@Brew12 - maybe a typo on the low side but not far off I guess. At least according to the probe on my Apex. I have calibrated it twice. First time it was off because I didn't think to bring up the calibration fluid pack to water temperature. So it was reading really high. Once I caught that somewhere I calibrated it again and it is more reasonable. Tank just finished cycling first week of March. Pretty much left alone till April when last week I fired up the skimmer and moved my 40 breeder over the following day.

To answer your first question I can't add a airline outside just yet. There are a couple possibilities but I need to see about where I would add it on the skimmer, then how to run it, then discuss drilling through the wall of the house. Distance isn't far at about 10 feet give or take if I go horizontal. I'm pretty sure my better half would not like this option so... Kalk is what I was originally thinking. I just need to find or do the math for my container size I guess. ATO is a 5 gallon bucket. So if I had to guess full it is about 4 1/2 gallons. That would be the first batch. Then I typically fill it with 4 gallons which would be my normal mix for it.

I am going to order a couple calibration packets to check probe again. It isn't going to hurt and sounds like a good idea.

 

[Brew12]

@Brew12 - maybe a typo on the low side but not far off I guess. At least according to the probe on my Apex. I have calibrated it twice. First time it was off because I didn't think to bring up the calibration fluid pack to water temperature. So it was reading really high. Once I caught that somewhere I calibrated it again and it is more reasonable. Tank just finished cycling first week of March. Pretty much left alone till April when last week I fired up the skimmer and moved my 40 breeder over the following day.

To answer your first question I can't add a airline outside just yet. There are a couple possibilities but I need to see about where I would add it on the skimmer, then how to run it, then discuss drilling through the wall of the house. Distance isn't far at about 10 feet give or take if I go horizontal. I'm pretty sure my better half would not like this option so... Kalk is what I was originally thinking. I just need to find or do the math for my container size I guess. ATO is a 5 gallon bucket. So if I had to guess full it is about 4 1/2 gallons. That would be the first batch. Then I typically fill it with 4 gallons which would be my normal mix for it.

I am going to order a couple calibration packets to check probe again. It isn't going to hurt and sounds like a good idea.

Yeah, I recommend recalibrating. I don't believe those pH numbers are actually possible in a reef tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I agree that any pH below 7.5 is almost certainly inaccurate unless it is a very unusual situation. Rock will be dissolving.

First step in properly chasing pH is to be sure the pH measurement is accurate.

For some reason, pH and salinity/conductivity measured by controllers is more problematic than stand alone devices. Might partly be the way temperature effects on these values are implemented.

 

[User1]

Thanks @Randy Holmes-Farley and @Brew12 - I'll be ordering some calibration packets and see what it does. Rockers are not dissolving that is for sure.

I'll also do some reading today and see how reliable and/or accurate the Apex pH probe is or if there is something I missed in the calibration process. Have a good morning both.

 

[Why-Me]

how old is your pH probe? Is it the lab grade or regular version probe? It is possible it just needs to be replaced.

 

[Brew12]

Thanks @Randy Holmes-Farley and @Brew12 - I'll be ordering some calibration packets and see what it does. Rockers are not dissolving that is for sure.

I'll also do some reading today and see how reliable and/or accurate the Apex pH probe is or if there is something I missed in the calibration process. Have a good morning both.

I found my Apex pH probe to be accurate when I used it. When I did my calibration I would toss a packet of 7 and 10 reference into my sump 15 minutes before I planned on starting. The temperature compensation shouldn't change pH by any appreciable amount but this worked well for me.

 

[RevJames]

I’ve never once tested mine in the three years my tank has been running. My buddy, who I bought the tank from, never checked it in the 10 years he owned it. So I’d have to say relatively unimportant!

 

[Why-Me]

I found my Apex pH probe to be accurate when I used it. When I did my calibration I would toss a packet of 7 and 10 reference into my sump 15 minutes before I planned on starting. The temperature compensation shouldn't change pH by any appreciable amount but this worked well for me.

The guy I bought my Apex from suggested this as well.