low ph

[sergifed91]

my ph hs dropped down to 7.4 ppm. although the highest I have seen is 8.0 this is a small concern with me. although I don't chase the numbers I have been thinking about running the airline to the protein skimmer to out side. the problem with that would be the length. at 1/4" airling to around 30 feet to the closest wall. I would not benefit if at all make it worse. evaluating my options. I could drill and connect to my furnace to the air intake which is a rather large pipe which might work but not sure if I would be introducing anything in to the tank going that way. or I could run several 1 1/4 clear vinyl tubing to the outside then as I got closer hook smaller tubing to it and run it to the skimmer air intake. I know the further away from the wall the less air intake it will have and by starting with a large tubing or pipe and running it will still decrease the air flow by a percentage.

something like the following
couple of these
https://www.lowes.com/pd/EASTMAN-1-1-4-in-x-1-ft-Pvc-Clear-Vinyl-Tubing/1000180527
EASTMAN 1/4-in x 10-ft Pvc Clear Vinyl Tubing
using a connector to connect them. if it's possible. then for a foot to 4 feet insulation to cover during the winter to prevent any creeping. and i'll drop the 1/4" tubing down to the skimmer air intake.

thoughts and comments please. or maybe I can use an existing pipe that is running outside but not sure if it will cause harm to my tank.i do realize I have to work it down towards 1/4 inch tubing by working down the size of the tubing.

 

[LouieP]

I wouldn't worry about it. You could make sure you're probe is calibrated & cleaned other than that dont worry about it.

 

[sghera64]

You will get very little air flow through 30 feet of 1/2 tubing. I have a 30 foot run to the outside and used 3/4 inch PVC for all but the last 2 feet. For that, I used 3/8 inch tubing.

Don’t connect to your furnace intake. When the blower kicks in, there is quite a bit of pressure reduction in that header (maybe 30+ inches of pressure). If that is greater than the suction head from your skimmer, then it will pull salt water backward through the line. It might not make it to the furnace, but, boy if it did. . . . . “Flame-out!”

 

[sergifed91]

You will get very little air flow through 30 feet of 1/2 tubing. I have a 30 foot run to the outside and used 3/4 inch PVC for all but the last 2 feet. For that, I used 3/8 inch tubing.

Don’t connect to your furnace intake. When the blower kicks in, there is quite a bit of pressure reduction in that header (maybe 30+ inches of pressure). If that is greater than the suction head from your skimmer, then it will pull salt water backward through the line. It might not make it to the furnace, but, boy if it did. . . . . “Flame-out!”

I plan on using a 1 inch pvc pipe then the last 2 feet then use 3/8 inch tubing into a 1/4 inch tube to the skimmer will that work?

 

[sghera64]

I plan on using a 1 inch pvc pipe then the last 2 feet then use 3/8 inch tubing into a 1/4 inch tube to the skimmer will that work?

Yes. I added a small amount of dust filtering to the inlet of mine (outside). Every now and then, I use my mouth to suck on the flexible tubing that connects to the skimmer. This helps me “feel” how easily air moves through the pipe. You can do that to see how easily your skimmer will breathe. You should feel very little resistance.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

pH 7.4, if accurate, is too low (IMO) and suggests action is necessary.

The ling airline you suggest will not work unless it has a pump on the end driving the air through rapidly.

Not sure what you mean to do with the furnace, but definitely do not use combustion gas in the tank water.

 

[sergifed91]

pH 7.4, if accurate, is too low (IMO) and suggests action is necessary.

The ling airline you suggest will not work unless it has a pump on the end driving the air through rapidly.

Not sure what you mean to do with the furnace, but definitely do not use combustion gas in the tank water.

I retested it today. been leaving the windows open for an hour a day since my first post. it has increased to 7.8 ppm. so I'm not to worried now. but would like it up a little higher. but I know the ocean ph level is 7.8 ppm. so no more worries.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I retested it today. been leaving the windows open for an hour a day since my first post. it has increased to 7.8 ppm. so I'm not to worried now. but would like it up a little higher. but I know the ocean ph level is 7.8 ppm. so no more worries.

The ocean is not pH 7.8. It's more typically 8.1 to 8.2 on average.

The trend downward in pH has oceanographers very worried, and pH 7.8 would really concern them.

 

[Reefinmike]

I had the same problem for a while and it has been very frustrating. I know most people say “dont chase ph” but it’s hard not to when you see what a week of nice windows open weather does for your ph, coral color, growth and health. The first 4-5 months were a real struggle to get above 7.9. Corals weren’t growing fast because of low ph. Kalkwasser helped but i couldnt add much. My cheato wouldn’t do a darn thing because my fish load is so low. It was a really vicious cycle and I feel i’m finally getting out of it. Running air to my skimmer helped but it only raised the ph about .1 I ran about 25’ of 1” pvc all the way to the tank and I wouldn’t do any smaller. 30’ of 1/4” would really restrict the skimmers air. As others mentioned, be sure to use some sort of mesh or filter pad on the air intake to prevent bugs and etc from getting in. If you live in an area that gets sprayed for mosquitoes, carbon would be a good idea too. I dont use carbon but I turn off the skimmer when im using gas powered yard equipment near the intake. The biggest perk was how much quieter my skimmer is now. Its noisy outside but my eshopps s200 skimmer is now the quietest piece of equipment aside from heaters. Theoretically the skimmer pulling air should raise the ph much more but my rather loose fitting lids have to be letting co2 in through the rippling surface water. I’ve been at a crossroads of deciding whether or not to completely seal off the top of the tank from inside air. Like i mean SEAL! Then I’d connect my outside air intake through the polycarbonate top with a bulkhead and my skimmers air intake would tap into my emergency drain. This way the skimmer would be pulling outside air(and humidity) through the displays surface and down the drain to great increase the fresh air contact time.

However things have been looking up recently. Corals have settled in and started growing well. Two weeks ago I switch from daily manual dry chemical dosing to dosing 1/2 gallon of kalkwasser a day. The kalkwasser raised the ph about .13 which has noticeably increased coral growth. Now my ph ranges from 8.0 -8.15 and corals are doing better than ever. Low ph is a vicious thing and hard to work out of but I believe the best approach is multipronged. Grow algae on a reverse photo cycle, feed your skimmer fresh air and dose as much kalkwasser as your corals can uptake. I wouldn’t want my ph to rely on only one “bandaid fix”. I’m getting a new hvac system in spring and i’m strongly considering a fresh air exchange.

 

[sergifed91]

I had the same problem for a while and it has been very frustrating. I know most people say “dont chase ph” but it’s hard not to when you see what a week of nice windows open weather does for your ph, coral color, growth and health. The first 4-5 months were a real struggle to get above 7.9. Corals weren’t growing fast because of low ph. Kalkwasser helped but i couldnt add much. My cheato wouldn’t do a darn thing because my fish load is so low. It was a really vicious cycle and I feel i’m finally getting out of it. Running air to my skimmer helped but it only raised the ph about .1 I ran about 25’ of 1” pvc all the way to the tank and I wouldn’t do any smaller. 30’ of 1/4” would really restrict the skimmers air. As others mentioned, be sure to use some sort of mesh or filter pad on the air intake to prevent bugs and etc from getting in. If you live in an area that gets sprayed for mosquitoes, carbon would be a good idea too. I dont use carbon but I turn off the skimmer when im using gas powered yard equipment near the intake. The biggest perk was how much quieter my skimmer is now. Its noisy outside but my eshopps s200 skimmer is now the quietest piece of equipment aside from heaters. Theoretically the skimmer pulling air should raise the ph much more but my rather loose fitting lids have to be letting co2 in through the rippling surface water. I’ve been at a crossroads of deciding whether or not to completely seal off the top of the tank from inside air. Like i mean SEAL! Then I’d connect my outside air intake through the polycarbonate top with a bulkhead and my skimmers air intake would tap into my emergency drain. This way the skimmer would be pulling outside air(and humidity) through the displays surface and down the drain to great increase the fresh air contact time.

However things have been looking up recently. Corals have settled in and started growing well. Two weeks ago I switch from daily manual dry chemical dosing to dosing 1/2 gallon of kalkwasser a day. The kalkwasser raised the ph about .13 which has noticeably increased coral growth. Now my ph ranges from 8.0 -8.15 and corals are doing better than ever. Low ph is a vicious thing and hard to work out of but I believe the best approach is multipronged. Grow algae on a reverse photo cycle, feed your skimmer fresh air and dose as much kalkwasser as your corals can uptake. I wouldn’t want my ph to rely on only one “bandaid fix”. I’m getting a new hvac system in spring and i’m strongly considering a fresh air exchange.

I have been leaving my windows open. although not much of a difference but it's a stable 7.8 ppm. looking into a co2 scrubber from brs. this seems to be the best bet. if I decide to move the tank early next spring. I'm moving it close to a window and just run the air intake to the out side which would be 24 inches. so i'll just drill a small hole and run it out through the window sill. and let it push the air in by itself. not much work after that. then i'll worry about it being on an outside way in the fall.