Not good! High PH

[SeaDøøby]

Recently I’ve been having some ph troubles. My ph is monitored by my apex el. My ph probe used to read 7.9 ph and my salifert test 8.3 so I calibrated the ph probe. After the calibration I noticed that my ph goes on an increase to a max of 8.7 ph around 5:00pm. I tested to make sure and the ph shows to be othe chart on the salifert test. (8.6+)

In the image it looks like the ph increases from Jul 12 to today (Jul 17) also some drops too.

My other parameters:

Salinity: 1.026sg
Ph: 8.7 ph
Nitrate: .02ppm
Phosphate: .17ppm
Calcium: 410ppm
Alkalinity: 9.6
Magnesium: 1050ppm

All corals seem happy and open (mostly Sps)
Any suggestions on what to do about the high ph

 

[Tiki_Reef]

Did you do anything different lately, opened a window etc, also magnesium is low might want to raise it to at least 1275 or higher.

 

[SeaDøøby]

The only thing I’ve changed but I don’t think would make a difference is change my plumbing. Nothing has changed since then.

 

[Tiki_Reef]

The only thing I’ve changed but I don’t think would make a difference is change my plumbing. Nothing has changed since then.

Huh that's odd yeah plumbing wouldn't make your pH go up like that, could it possibly be bad calibration fluid?

 

[SeaDøøby]

Possibly but the salifert test shows 8.6+ too. It’s really weird

 

[SeaDøøby]

I remembered that I turned of my protein skimmer if that might change ph. I feel like that might actually be it.

 

[Justdrew]

I remembered that I turned of my protein skimmer if that might change ph. I feel like that might actually be it.

Protein skimmer off would normally lower pH due to less gas exchange.

 

[SeaDøøby]

Maybe it could be the ph probe. I’ll recalibrate it tomorrow.

 

[Jubei2006]

Do you have a dosing line near your pH probe and are you dosing soda ash or kalk through it around that time?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

pH is never too high in the absence of dosing a lot of very high pH alk additives.

I’d recalibrate.