Low ph and I'm not sure why

[glb]

Believe it or not the alk stayed the same. So did the ca. I don't know exactly how that's possible but it did. My formula turned out to be 1/3 cup increases Ph by .1.

 

[glb]

Usually folks add it very slowly through the day and especially the night.

Be sure the alk doesn't get too high.

Believe it or not, the alk and ca stayed the same. Weird, huh. 1/3 cup of kalk raises the Ph by .1

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

1/3 cup in 12 gallons should boost alk by 0.2 dKH and calcium by less than 2 ppm, so you just cant detect the rise with a kit.

 

[glb]

1/3 cup in 12 gallons should boost alk by 0.2 dKH and calcium by less than 2 ppm, so you just cant detect the rise with a kit.

Cool! So this is going to work! I'll keep posting and thanks again for all your help!!!

 

[andrea.nichols.1650]

Do you have fish in your tank? If so how are they acting? Like do they eat ? Are they hanging out at the top of the tank?

 

[andrea.nichols.1650]

My pH is always either 8.1 or 8.3 never below that unless I do a big water change.

 

[glb]

Do you have fish in your tank? If so how are they acting? Like do they eat ? Are they hanging out at the top of the tank?

When the Ph dropped, my clownfish was on the bottom of the tank gasping for air. Once I brought up the Ph, he looked a lot better. I also added a powerhead for circulation and he got excited. He eats but not as much as my others in the past. He likes to hang out on the bottom of the tank but swims around too.

 

[glb]

My pH is always either 8.1 or 8.3 never below that unless I do a big water change.

I wish mine would stay that stable. Last night it was 8.0 and when I got up this morning it was down to 7.6. I added kalk and it's up to 7.7. My Red Sea reagent test reads .4 higher so I'm rather suspicious. The Ph monitor calibrates to the calibrating solution but it's new and a cheap one, so I'm not sure I should trust it. I also tested with API yesterday and it was also higher than the monitor.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I wish mine would stay that stable. Last night it was 8.0 and when I got up this morning it was down to 7.6. I added kalk and it's up to 7.7. My Red Sea reagent test reads .4 higher so I'm rather suspicious. The Ph monitor calibrates to the calibrating solution but it's new and a cheap one, so I'm not sure I should trust it. I also tested with API yesterday and it was also higher than the monitor.

That is why people do slow dosing at night or 24/7.

 

[glb]

Usually folks add it very slowly through the day and especially the night.

Be sure the alk doesn't get too high.

I added 1/3 cup at bedtime and Ph was 8.0. This morning it was 7.6. Is .4 too big of a swing for corals or fish? Sounds like I need a drip line. As I raise it today, is a .1 increase/hour reasonable?

 

[glb]

Aeration can make low pH worse if you home air has elevated CO2 in it.

Aside from fresher air, options include limewater and a CO2 scrubber on a skimmer inlet or air stone.

Aha! I just tested the saltwater I mixed up last night and its Ph is 8.1, sitting right next to the tank. So, according to your article, the problem isn't excess co2 in my air but in the tank itself. I added an airstone to the tank to test your theory. Does this sound reasonable?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I added 1/3 cup at bedtime and Ph was 8.0. This morning it was 7.6. Is .4 too big of a swing for corals or fish? Sounds like I need a drip line. As I raise it today, is a .1 increase/hour reasonable?

The swing isn't a concern, IMO, but a pH of 7.6 is too low for hard corals.

0.1 pH unit per hour is fine.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Aha! I just tested the saltwater I mixed up last night and its Ph is 8.1, sitting right next to the tank. So, according to your article, the problem isn't excess co2 in my air but in the tank itself. I added an airstone to the tank to test your theory. Does this sound reasonable?

The new salt water may have much higher alk than your tank, but doing an aeration test its a good idea.

 

[glb]

The new salt water may have much higher alk than your tank, but doing an aeration test its a good idea.

I added an airstone and the ph seems to be a little more steady. Right now I have it at 8.0. I'm going to figure out how much it drops in an hour.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

OK, sounds good.

 

[glb]

Excellent news. I just got home and in 4 1/2 hours without dosing the ph only dropped from 8.0 to 7.9. This is a huge improvement! I think the airstone is helping. I'm also running a fan towards the tank. I'll dose it 1-2 more times before I go to bed and see how it does overnight. I made a diy drip line but if the ph is more steady, it would raise it too much. I could try it for a few hours tomorrow in the tank and see. I'm really excited that this seems to be working itself out. Randy you're awesome! [emoji4]

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

:thumb:

Thanks and happy reefing!

 

[glb]

Ph was 7.7 this morning. 8.1 last night before bed. So the .4 ph drop overnight may be a pattern. I guess a good solution until I can get a reliable drip line is to get it up to 8.2-8.3 at night so the drop won't get too low. I don't trust my diy dripper for overnight yet. I'll have to test it during the day first.

 

[glb]

Fish, crabs and snails all seem much happier, especially the clownfish.

 

[glb]

This morning my ph was 7.7, down from 8.1 last night. I dosed up to 7.8-7.9 before I left for work and when I came home, it was the same! It held all day, which is a first. I'm going to get it up to 8.2 before I go to bed so hopefully it will only drop to 7.8 overnight. It's my understanding that keeping in this range is fine. The airstone in the sump definitely seems to be helping. I will set up some sort of nighttime dosing once I see the pattern is consistent. My favia seems fine and my lobo has a little color on the skeleton so it may come back. When I add corals, I think I'll stick to softies like ricordea and zoas until I have this down pat. I have always had a low ph problem so it will be great if this is what solves it.