Low pH

[cloggins]

I'm running a skimmerless setup. One thing I'm fighting is low pH. The tank is dosed 1.5 liters of kalk a day. Still, the pH hovers at 7.8 most of the time. Is this something I should raise? What are some good ways of raising it?

 

[WIReefer]

Honestly I wouldn’t worry about it 7.8 in my opinion is nothing to worry about! I also run a tank with no skimmer and just fine!

 

[piranhaman00]

Dont chase pH. Open a window.

 

[block134]

Double check what you are using to take measurements with. It could be reading wrong.

Just recently, my probe was reading 7.7 to 7.8. I recalibrated it and now it reads 8.3 ish.

I haven't checked my probe with a test solution to see if the new calibration is right though so the old readings might be right.

 

[h2so4hurts]

Air stones help if you're not running a skimmer, anything to help drive off the CO2.

 

[Futuretotm]

Here's my story:
Skimmer alone - ph 7.8
Skimmer w co2 scrubber - ph 7.85
Skimmer w co2 scrubber w recir - ph 7.9
Skimer with fresh air - 7.95

Recalibrate and woah nelly Im at 8.2
2 weeks later 7.9


Apex pH probe is trying to train me not to chase numbers. It a new feature really.

 

[hyeclass]

Dont chase pH. Open a window.

even though my window is open also running air in my skimmer my PH is 7.71 not sure if i should get Kalkwasser

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

even though my window is open also running air in my skimmer my PH is 7.71 not sure if i should get Kalkwasser

If windows are open, more aeration will raise that pH to 8+, or it is not accurate.

My expectation is on test error.

This has more:

pH And The Reef Aquarium
http://www.reefedition.com/ph-and-the-reef-aquarium/


The Aeration Test

Some of the possible causes of low pH listed above require an effort to diagnose. Problems 3 and 4 are quite common, and here is a way to distinguish them. Remove a cup of tank water and measure its pH. Then aerate it for an hour with an airstone using outside air. Its pH should rise if it is unusually low for the measured alkalinity (Figure 2). Then repeat the same experiment on a new cup of water using inside air. If its pH also rises, then the aquarium’s pH will rise simply with more aeration because it is only the aquarium that contains excess carbon dioxide. If the pH does not rise in the cup (or rises very little) when aerating with indoor air, then that air likely contains excess CO2, and more aeration with that same air will not solve the low pH problem (although aeration with fresher air should). Be careful implementing this test if the outside aeration test results in a large temperature change (more than 5°C or 10°F), because such changes alone impact pH measurements.

 

[hyeclass]

If windows are open, more aeration will raise that pH to 8+, or it is not accurate.

My expectation is on test error.

This has more:

pH And The Reef Aquarium
http://www.reefedition.com/ph-and-the-reef-aquarium/


The Aeration Test

Some of the possible causes of low pH listed above require an effort to diagnose. Problems 3 and 4 are quite common, and here is a way to distinguish them. Remove a cup of tank water and measure its pH. Then aerate it for an hour with an airstone using outside air. Its pH should rise if it is unusually low for the measured alkalinity (Figure 2). Then repeat the same experiment on a new cup of water using inside air. If its pH also rises, then the aquarium’s pH will rise simply with more aeration because it is only the aquarium that contains excess carbon dioxide. If the pH does not rise in the cup (or rises very little) when aerating with indoor air, then that air likely contains excess CO2, and more aeration with that same air will not solve the low pH problem (although aeration with fresher air should). Be careful implementing this test if the outside aeration test results in a large temperature change (more than 5°C or 10°F), because such changes alone impact pH measurements.

Not sure i was thinking buffer it

 

[hyeclass]

If windows are open, more aeration will raise that pH to 8+, or it is not accurate.

My expectation is on test error.

This has more:

pH And The Reef Aquarium
http://www.reefedition.com/ph-and-the-reef-aquarium/


The Aeration Test

Some of the possible causes of low pH listed above require an effort to diagnose. Problems 3 and 4 are quite common, and here is a way to distinguish them. Remove a cup of tank water and measure its pH. Then aerate it for an hour with an airstone using outside air. Its pH should rise if it is unusually low for the measured alkalinity (Figure 2). Then repeat the same experiment on a new cup of water using inside air. If its pH also rises, then the aquarium’s pH will rise simply with more aeration because it is only the aquarium that contains excess carbon dioxide. If the pH does not rise in the cup (or rises very little) when aerating with indoor air, then that air likely contains excess CO2, and more aeration with that same air will not solve the low pH problem (although aeration with fresher air should). Be careful implementing this test if the outside aeration test results in a large temperature change (more than 5°C or 10°F), because such changes alone impact pH measurements.

Here is the report

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Unless the alkalinity is low, a buffer is not the right step forward.

Try the aeration test, or recalibrating. That pH is not stable in seawater aerated with fresh air.