Low Ph

[biecacka]

Good day everyone!
Quick question for everyone. I have a 240 gallon tank in my apartment. In the warmer weather I shut the windows and run my ac. I also use a CaRx, and the problem I’m having is my ph drops. The reactor is set to kick on/off @6.9-6.8. The problem I’m having is my ph in the tank is staying around 6.8-6.7 I have tested this and taken water to my LFS for a second test done.
I am thinking of adding kalk in either my ATO, or manual dosing. Anything else anyone can think of.
With my ph so low my CaRx hardly kicks on which has driven my alk down low to the mid sixes. My plan was to use kalk to get it back up to around 8, which would keep my CaRx on more frequently and help keep my alk steady at a higher number.

I’m not necessarily chasing a certain ph number just know that it is very low at this time.

Corey

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Good day everyone!
Quick question for everyone. I have a 240 gallon tank in my apartment. In the warmer weather I shut the windows and run my ac. I also use a CaRx, and the problem I’m having is my ph drops. The reactor is set to kick on/off @6.9-6.8. The problem I’m having is my ph in the tank is staying around 6.8-6.7 I have tested this and taken water to my LFS for a second test done.
I am thinking of adding kalk in either my ATO, or manual dosing. Anything else anyone can think of.
With my ph so low my CaRx hardly kicks on which has driven my alk down low to the mid sixes. My plan was to use kalk to get it back up to around 8, which would keep my CaRx on more frequently and help keep my alk steady at a higher number.

I’m not necessarily chasing a certain ph number just know that it is very low at this time.

Corey

That pH 6.7 for the tank cannot be correct, or at least, is a super severe problem many times worse than I have ever heard of. Live rock and calcium carbonate sand and coral skeletons would be dissolving.

I'd get some new pH calibration buffers and recalibrate everything before doing anything else.

 

[Jay Z]

Ph dropping when you close the house up may be a excess co2 issue. Know anyone with a co2 meter?

 

[biecacka]

That pH 6.7 for the tank cannot be correct, or at least, is a super severe problem many times worse than I have ever heard of. Live rock and calcium carbonate sand and coral skeletons would be dissolving.

I'd get some new pH calibration buffers and recalibrate everything before doing anything else.

Randy that's what I thought to. I recalibrated my probe in my reactor and it is still reading 6.9 after calibrating correctly. Or so I think. I can only assume that the test kit used was incorrect.
I'm check again.

Corey

 

[Saltyreef]

So your ph tester and your lfs's ph tester both are reading in the mid sixes? Yikes! All I can think of with the info given is the reactor is causing a higher amount of C02 in the water which in turn is lowering your ph. More gas exchanges in the water is what comes to mind here.....flow.....aeration.....I would take Randys advice here just to eliminate other possibilities.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If it really is that low, I'd turn of the reactor immediately.

 

[biecacka]

I don’t have a ph test get. My probe is in my CaRx. I will test the tank water again tomorrow. And with the cooler weather the next few days, I have windows and doors open to help


Corey

 

[Saltyreef]

I don’t have a ph test get. My probe is in my CaRx. I will test the tank water again tomorrow. And with the cooler weather the next few days, I have windows and doors open to help


Corey

Is your LFS using a pen style ph tester? You said you verified these numbers at your LFS.

 

[biecacka]

They used sailfert

Corey

 

[Saltyreef]

They used sailfert

Corey

So you said they confirmed your tank water sample pH was 6.8 to 6.7?
That pH of 6.8 to 6.7 is more like your calcium reactors internal pH. You might want to shut it down like randy says and figure out why its dropping your tanks PH to that of the reactor. Sounds like somethings not setup correctly.

 

[Saltyreef]

They used sailfert

Corey

So you said they confirmed your tank water sample pH was 6.8 to 6.7?
That pH of 6.8 to 6.7 is more like your calcium reactors internal pH. You might want to shut it down like randy says and figure out why its dropping your tanks PH to that of the reactor. Sounds like somethings not setup correctly.

 

[biecacka]

Yes. But I find that hard to believe like randy say, things would be melting.
I will double check at the pet store tomorrow now that my probe has been recalibrated.

Thank you,

Corey

 

[Joe Batt]

What was the result and solution?