Is it normal for pH to stabilize?

[Philly Reefer]

Hello all,

I am kinda stump with whats happening with my pH.

This "flat-line" usually happen at night. My tank currently only host 2 clowns and some hermit crabs. no corals yet. sump light is on all the time with chaeto on it. DT lights are from 10am-10pm with 4 hours ramp up and down. My skimmer airline is taking air from outside. so when its raining it will drop the pH.

During the last 3 pH flat-line, I would rebooted my apex and it looks like to be "fluctuating" again. which I would think is normal.

I did just test the pH with API test kit and it is showing 8.0. which is showing 7.96 on the apex right now. For the heck of it, I also take the probe out and put it in a cup of rodi water and it changed. Do I need to have the probe on certain depth? I did have it only half of the probe that was in the water. I changed that now with almost all in the water. Not the cap.

Any explanation for this?

Thank you

 

[proxy001]

Yes it is very normal. Your Ph is going back to your baseline. When lights turn off photosynthesis stops, no CO2 is being uptaken. But it not going to drop past a certain point, there you have your plateau that is determined essentially by Alk and amount of CO2 in the air in the house.

 

[Reefer1978]

Yes it's normal. These probes have a margin of error (aka they are cheap probes), but precise enough for our needs. Mine also flatlines every night for a few hours.

 

[Philly Reefer]

Yes it is very normal. Your Ph is going back to your baseline. When lights turn off photosynthesis stops, no CO2 is being uptaken. But it not going to drop past a certain point, there you have your plateau that is determined essentially by Alk and amount of CO2 in the air in the house.

So since my fuge light never turned off, it stabilize to 7.96?

Or should I start turning off my refugium light? (Keeping it on only at night)
I have it on all time now because I don't have any corals. When I have coral, I will have the fuge light opposite of my DT

 

[Reefer1978]

My rule of thumb is: If it aint broken don't fix it. What are you trying to accomplish with turning off the Refugium light?

 

[Philly Reefer]

My rule of thumb is: If it aint broken don't fix it. What are you trying to accomplish with turning off the Refugium light?

Won't the chaeto compete with the corals for nutrients if I don't turn the fuge light?

Your pH flat line for few hours, this one is flatlining since midnight

 

[Reefer1978]

Won't the chaeto compete with the corals for nutrients if I don't turn the fuge light?

Your pH flat line for few hours, this one is flatlining since midnight

As long as you feed the tank and don't starve it I don't think your chaeto will outcompete the coral. Your tank is still maturing, Ph will keep on changing as you add more livestock and it's reaching maturity and equilibrium. My tank is 3 years old. Unless you start to notice issues with your animals, I don't think there's anything to worry about yet.

 

[Philly Reefer]

As long as you feed the tank and don't starve it I don't think your chaeto will outcompete the coral. Your tank is still maturing, Ph will keep on changing as you add more livestock and it's reaching maturity and equilibrium. My tank is 3 years old. Unless you start to notice issues with your animals, I don't think there's anything to worry about yet.

Thank you for the reassurance.

I will keep an eye on it. I thought the pH should be fluctuating throughout the day.

 

[Reefer1978]

Thank you for the reassurance.

I will keep an eye on it. I thought the pH should be fluctuating throughout the day.

You will get to love and hate your Ph over time. Years ago I used to freak out as I lived in a modern construction home, which was very well sealed off from the outside air. Nothing like having an additional 4 adults in your house for a party in the middle of a winter with some alcohol involved (everyone drinking, processing O2 into CO2, etc), only to have to convince your wife afterwords, while intoxicated, that you need to air out the house in 10-degree weather or the coral will all die.

 

[Miller535]

So since my fuge light never turned off, it stabilize to 7.96?

Or should I start turning off my refugium light? (Keeping it on only at night)
I have it on all time now because I don't have any corals. When I have coral, I will have the fuge light opposite of my DT

According to Algae barn and lots of other places that sell chaeto, you should not run a light on it 24/7. It needs a lights out period.

 

[Philly Reefer]

You will get to love and hate your Ph over time. Years ago I used to freak out as I lived in a modern construction home, which was very well sealed off from the outside air. Nothing like having an additional 4 adults in your house for a party in the middle of a winter with some alcohol involved (everyone drinking, processing O2 into CO2, etc), only to have to convince your wife afterwords, while intoxicated, that you need to air out the house in 10-degree weather or the coral will all die.

Yeah I learned about the importance of pH too late. Would have put this tank in the living room instead of in the basement. ( My man cave) with no window.

According to Algae barn and lots of other places that sell chaeto, you should not run a light on it 24/7. It needs a lights out period.

Aww.. let me read up on that. Ty

 

[Biglew11]

Ph will normally fluctuate from day to night. Usually higher during day and lower at night. The reason we run the fuge lights at night minimizes the fluctuation.
None of this means that the ph has to fluctuate. it's just numbers that tell us a little bit of what's going on.

 

[Philly Reefer]

Ph will normally fluctuate from day to night. Usually higher during day and lower at night. The reason we run the fuge lights at night minimizes the fluctuation.
None of this means that the ph has to fluctuate. it's just numbers that tell us a little bit of what's going on.

Thank you. After having the apex, I thought pH would be fluctuating all the time. I will not be worried about it anymore.
As long its stays in the range that we like them to be

 

[dbowman5]

thanks for the info in this thread

 

[proxy001]

Ph will normally fluctuate from day to night. Usually higher during day and lower at night. The reason we run the fuge lights at night minimizes the fluctuation.
None of this means that the ph has to fluctuate. it's just numbers that tell us a little bit of what's going on.

if your Ph doesn't flucuate, meaning not increasing during the day, it means you have no normal biological activity, or CO2 increases during the day and compensate for photosynthesis.
The Ph Should/must increase with lights.
To OP: run reverse lighting. Refugium lights at night to minimize the swing.
Also, Ph has a limit down, it is not going to keep going down until it hits zero...

 

[Biglew11]

OP has no coral in tank likely not very much algea in display. And running his fuge at 24/7 currently. His ph probably wont change much under those conditions. Yes he should put it on opposite schedule of the display. And his graphs do show about a .1 to .15 or so fluctuation so theres clearly some activity going on.