How to bring up PH in tank

[Shawn.B]

7.3! definitely check your measuring device!
this being said my one tank had consistently low pH until i tried this product https://amzn.to/2RfBJXy
not quite sure how it works but it did

 

[Shawn.B]

the fact that you have an atom as your picture I'm trusting you lol

this made me chuckle... your getting advice from arguably one of the best in the hobby

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

the fact that you have an atom as your picture I'm trusting you lol

It’s my favorite molecule, phosphate. In real life, the pharmaceutical company I worked for literally made billions of dollars selling a phosphate binder that I co-invented.

 

[Currdawg12]

this made me chuckle... your getting advice from arguably one of the best in the hobby

well what he says makes since but I would have never thought of that in a million years

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

7.3! definitely check your measuring device!
this being said my one tank had consistently low pH until i tried this product https://amzn.to/2RfBJXy
not quite sure how it works but it did

it is just a high pH alkalinity additive that uses hydroxide as the alk source, same as kalkwasser or my extra high pH two part.

 

[Fla04gbf]

My partner who is a Water Treatment Chemist is who tests my water. I trust his instruments and they are reading 7.3 ~ 7.5 and so are my test strips. I did get the water tested at my LFS and they said i needed to add some Calcium to my tank as those levels were low. I'll be dosing calcium and reporting back.

Hi camkole, IMO if your tank is brand new just one month old, you probably shouldn’t be dosing anything. I am a little bit concern that it may not have been properly cycled and by dosing you could create more problems. My tank took almost 6 months to be properly cycled. Before that my nitrate and PO4 and my pH has been swinging ups and downs a lot. It would be very helpful to the low pH and the tank maturation in tbe long run to set up a refugium with macroalgaes and add a protein skimmer if you don’t already have one. And one more thing, go very slow with the addition of new corals and/ or any live stock at this early stage. That’s just my two cents worth. Happy reefing!

 

[Currdawg12]

It’s my favorite molecule, phosphate. In real life, the pharmaceutical company I worked for literally made billions of dollars selling a phosphate binder that I co-invented.

well thank you for taking the time to reply to me.

 

[S.Pepper]

the fact that you have an atom as your picture I'm trusting you lol

 

[CuzzA]

Hi guys,

Please help me out here. I have had this tank set up for almost a month now and since i started it my PH has read at 7.3. I've introduced livestock and corals but the PH remains the same.
I buy my RO and RedSea salt water from my LFS. My Nitrites and Nitrates remain 0 and my gravity is 1.023. No amonia, etc.

Question is, how do i get my PH to rise?

I have two clowns that i'm pretty sure need a PH closer to 8.

Thanks in advance!

How are you testing salinity? Hydrometer or refractometer?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

well thank you for taking the time to reply to me.

you’re welcome.

Happy Reefing

 

[Terri Caton]

Easiest way to increase pH is to decrease CO2. The outside air is a great thing but it’s winter. Not everyone can do that.

Next best thing is increase O2 in your water. Point your powerheads toward the surface for more agitation. You can also use a pump and tube, with or without an air stone depending on how you feel about that, and let it run during the night when pH is the lowest.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Next best thing is increase O2 in your water. Point your powerheads toward the surface for more agitation. You can also use a pump and tube, with or without an air stone depending on how you feel about that, and let it run during the night when pH is the lowest.

O2 increasing has no impact on pH. It is only removal of CO2 that boosts pH, regardless of how O2 changes.

 

[Terri Caton]

O2 increasing has no impact on pH. It is only removal of CO2 that boosts pH, regardless of how O2 changes.

Technically true but the concept of raising O2 and offing CO2 is the same. More water agitation.

 

[CuzzA]

Technically true but the concept of raising O2 and offing CO2 is the same. More water agitation.

In my years of reefing I have found little difference in pH by agitating the water's surface further. Most reef tanks already have a ton of water movement from wavemakers, overflow weirs, drains, sump baffles and returns. The bottom line is our homes are packed with co2.

The only things that works well are open windows to remove co2 from the home, big refugiums growing a lot of algae to consume co2, skimmer air intakes outside to force clean low co2 air in or scrubbers to remove co2. The latter being very expensive. And finally, if all parameters are correct, like your salinity is really around seawater levels as well as alkalinity, we just have to live with the fact that pH is going to be hard to maintain at higher levels in young tanks or with few calcifying organisms. Of course if you can get enough calcification going on in your tank then you can "fix" pH once and for all with kalk.

 

[boacvh]

Technically true but the concept of raising O2 and offing CO2 is the same. More water agitation.

Sorry. Another newbie here with a question. But doesn't this depend on the CO2 concentration in the air surrounding the tank? I.e. if the concentration is already very high, won't I introduce more CO2 into the water by increasing agitation? (Bringing to balance?)

 

[Terri Caton]

All I can say is it’s worked for me. Once on my 32 gallon I did it and went from 7.4 to 7.9 overnight. Never had a problem with it on my 139 gal so...

No, agitating it will not increase the CO 2 level to my knowledge.
It can’t get any higher than the CO2 in the air around it.
When the surface of aquarium water is disturbed, the rate of gas exchange between the water and the air is increased; more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere and more dissolved oxygen is taken by the water. The surface tension of the water must be broken for sufficient gas exchange.


I think @CuzzA is correct about the young tank. I would also say agitating the water might only work on a smaller tank with not as much flow.

Just my experience.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Technically true but the concept of raising O2 and offing CO2 is the same. More water agitation.

It is much more than a technical detail. O2 and CO2 often move independently in reef tanks and surface agitation can lower or raise CO2 (and pH), regardless of whether it is raising or lowering O2.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sorry. Another newbie here with a question. But doesn't this depend on the CO2 concentration in the air surrounding the tank? I.e. if the concentration is already very high, won't I introduce more CO2 into the water by increasing agitation? (Bringing to balance?)

Yes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

All I can say is it’s worked for me. Once on my 32 gallon I did it and went from 7.4 to 7.9 overnight. Never had a problem with it on my 139 gal so...

No, agitating it will not increase the CO 2 level to my knowledge.
It can’t get any higher than the CO2 in the air around it.
When the surface of aquarium water is disturbed, the rate of gas exchange between the water and the air is increased; more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere and more dissolved oxygen is taken by the water. The surface tension of the water must be broken for sufficient gas exchange.


I think @CuzzA is correct about the young tank. I would also say agitating the water might only work on a smaller tank with not as much flow.

Just my experience.

sorry, you are wrong. Sometimes, like your case, a tank might have excess CO2 relative to the air around it, and more agitation can raise pH by driving off CO2. Other tanks, like mine, were always deficient in CO2 and more aeration brings in CO2 and lowers pH.
In many tanks, which direction pH moves with aeration depends on the time of day and even the number of people near the tank.

 

[ScottR]

I would like to know if anyone has done this cause I'm thinking about trying it

I think most people I know that have reef tanks do this in my area. Our weather is generally mild and our homes are smaller so it makes sense. I generally get 8.1-8.3 pH as opposed to around 7.9 by doing this. There are other ways such as scrubbers to increase pH but I agree in not trying to chase pH and I’d get a second opinion on the pH testing as well. I’d be more concerned about CO2 levels if your pH was that low.