Kalk and CO2 scrubber not raising ph enough

[jimmypencil]

I know this is an older post, but that amount of kalkwasser is very low. If the goal is pH raising, you might want to add 5 times that amount. Even if all is added instantly, the pH boost is about 0.1 pH unit. Spread it out and the effect will be quite low.

right and my daily alk consumption is only .2-.3 dkh and im prioritizing alk stability. so i guess i will just have to wait until corals grow and demand increases to start dosing enough kalkwasser to significantly raise ph.

 

[jimmypencil]

right and my daily alk consumption is only .2-.3 dkh and im prioritizing alk stability. so i guess i will just have to wait until corals grow and demand increases to start dosing enough kalkwasser to significantly raise ph.

i recently moved powerheads and return nozzle so that they werent facing the surface (to reduce surface agitation) and this helped with ph a good bit.

 

[GARRIGA]

right and my daily alk consumption is only .2-.3 dkh and im prioritizing alk stability. so i guess i will just have to wait until corals grow and demand increases to start dosing enough kalkwasser to significantly raise ph.

Growing coralline algae will help increase consumption faster than waiting on coral growth. I have the same issue in that volume of kalk needed to materially raise Ph shoots my dkh to the moon.

Refugium looking to be my only alternative. Peg the light schedule to the ph. Off when reaching X value wanted. Until coral growth enough to resolve co2 consumption during display lights on

 

[jimmypencil]

Growing coralline algae will help increase consumption faster than waiting on coral growth. I have the same issue in that volume of kalk needed to materially raise Ph shoots my dkh to the moon.

Refugium looking to be my only alternative. Peg the light schedule to the ph. Off when reaching X value wanted. Until coral growth enough to resolve co2 consumption during display lights on

Coraline growth recently exploded so hopefully that helps. I want to do a fuge but i see best results with my sps with nitrate at 15+ and phosphate at .07+ so i dont want to be worried about my nutrients getting stripped all the time.

 

[GARRIGA]

Coraline growth recently exploded so hopefully that helps. I want to do a fuge but i see best results with my sps with nitrate at 15+ and phosphate at .07+ so i dont want to be worried about my nutrients getting stripped all the time.

Fuge can be dialed in as well based on nutrient need or feed more and keep ammonium and phosphates always present. Going to be and is my approach. Can also dose nitrates and phosphates. Seems simpler to me to bottom something out then add back what’s needed vs trying to walk a tight rope trying to keep exact tolerances. It’s a hobby. Not space exploration.

 

[dadnjesse]

My tank is under a window. I keep the window open with a fan blowing across. In the summer I have a window AC that blows air and even in the Winter which gets cold up here in New Hampshire I keep the window open a crack and this really helps my PH.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

right and my daily alk consumption is only .2-.3 dkh and im prioritizing alk stability. so i guess i will just have to wait until corals grow and demand increases to start dosing enough kalkwasser to significantly raise ph.

Yes.

 

[Naturalreef]

Older thread, but I just added a Icecap Co2 scrubber and modified it to recirculate. My PH prior was 7.9-8.15 which wasn’t bad, but with previous tank running at 8.4, I had seen my Sps growth double. I wanted that back.

I just wish I purchased a scrubber earlier. I’m now at 8.2-8.45 and loving it. I purchased the medium Icecap scrubber and the benefit of the icecap is that it has a water trap at the bottom of the scrubber.

 

[jimmypencil]

Older thread, but I just added a Icecap Co2 scrubber and modified it to recirculate. My PH prior was 7.9-8.15 which wasn’t bad, but with previous tank running at 8.4, I had seen my Sps growth double. I wanted that back.

I just wish I purchased a scrubber earlier. I’m now at 8.2-8.45 and loving it. I purchased the medium Icecap scrubber and the benefit of the icecap is that it has a water trap at the bottom of the scrubber.

do you add a little bit of water to the scrubber before you add the media? i usually do but im not sure if it does anything.

also i have the icecap medium co2 scrubber but ended up going back to my BRS scrubber because i didnt like how the push to connect fittings on the icecap werent air tight.

 

[xmjxflipx]

I believe could be the skimmer not pulling enough air....I use a ultra reef with CO2 scrubber and kalk rx at 1600 ml per day for 140 gallon system and my pH peaks at 8.4 and low of 8.1

 

[jimmypencil]

I believe could be the skimmer not pulling enough air....I use a ultra reef with CO2 scrubber and kalk rx at 1600 ml per day for 140 gallon system and my pH peaks at 8.4 and low of 8.1

definitely a skimmer issue. my ph maxes at 8.1, but as corals grow and im able to raise my kalkwasser dosing , ph stays in a range that im happy with. 7.9-8.1

 

[xmjxflipx]

Most people that I have seen with awesome corals don't even track ph. So I wouldn't really chase pH except making sure alkalinity is good and tank has stable parameters.

 

[jimmypencil]

Most people that I have seen with awesome corals don't even track ph. So I wouldn't really chase pH except making sure alkalinity is good and tank has stable parameters.

yep i totally agree. I had a explosion of growth and color after maintaining nitrate >15, phosphate >.07, alk 8.3, and testing everything else with monthly icp tests.

i think nutrients are by far the most important aspect of this hobby.

 

[Naturalreef]

No doubt stable alk and nutrients will give you the best growth. But, high PH does increase growth rates and gives you a healthier tank. My Sps thrived At 8.4. The icecap has a water trap built in underneath the media. I don’t add any water because the warm,moist skimmer air causes condensation in the tubing and travels down into the trap. This extends your media life by at least 2x. Im extremely happy with what I’m seeing.

 

[jimmypencil]

No doubt stable alk and nutrients will give you the best growth. But, high PH does increase growth rates and gives you a healthier tank. My Sps thrived At 8.4. The icecap has a water trap built in underneath the media. I don’t add any water because the warm,moist skimmer air causes condensation in the tubing and travels down into the trap. This extends your media life by at least 2x. Im extremely happy with what I’m seeing.

Yep ph absolutley boosts growth i just gotta tell myself its not a necessity so i can sleep at night

 

[jimmypencil]

No doubt stable alk and nutrients will give you the best growth. But, high PH does increase growth rates and gives you a healthier tank. My Sps thrived At 8.4. The icecap has a water trap built in underneath the media. I don’t add any water because the warm,moist skimmer air causes condensation in the tubing and travels down into the trap. This extends your media life by at least 2x. Im extremely happy with what I’m seeing.

i do look forward to the day i can upgrade to a tank with a sump and a bigger skimmer. ph will certainly not be an issue!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Most people that I have seen with awesome corals don't even track ph. So I wouldn't really chase pH except making sure alkalinity is good and tank has stable parameters.

If the question is can you have awesome corals and not measure pH, the answer is obviously yes. Folks can also smoke and not get lung cancer.

If the question is whether the pH can ever be low enough to be an issue and prevent one from having an awesome tank, the answer is also yes. Very tight medern homes can sometimes have very high CO2, driving pH down significantly and stressing corals.

If the question is whether one gets faster hard coral growth at higher pH, the answer may well be yes in many cases, though that is not a goal for everyone.