Opening windows to let in fresh air

[Nick Steele]

Okay so my ph is usually around 7.7-7.9 so I’m looking at ways to raise it to 8.1-8.3.

I have ran the aeration test that @Randy Holmes-Farley recommends to see if you need fresh air or if aeration alone will help. And it looks like I need fresh air. Cup of water inside stayed at 7.8ph for an hr and cup of water outside went from 7.8-8.1 in an hr.

Now for my solutions. I don’t have a skimmer and so I can’t run an airline from outside. I also can’t run a co2 scrubber so I’m left with opening windows in my house for sometime limit.

I’m curious if it is possible to maybe just open the window for 3-4 hrs once a week and if that would help or would just be a waste of time?

The window I can open is right next to my tank and is a sliding glass door if that helps any. Also I do not currently dose my tank but when I do it will be with EVS 2 part.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Crabs McJones]

It really depends on your house and family. If you have a larger family the CO2 can rise quickly and drop PH. If you have a small family and you're not home much it will take longer for levels to build up. I don't think a couple hours a week will help much unfortunately.

 

[Nick Steele]

It really depends on your house and family. If you have a larger family the CO2 can rise quickly and drop PH. If you have a small family and you're not home much it will take longer for levels to build up. I don't think a couple hours a week will help much unfortunately.

Only me and the wife. Both of us home about 12hrs a day or so. during winter we can open windows more but right now it’s about 90f everyday if not more so she won’t be game for any longer times and I’d be doing it while she isn’t home lol

 

[Pistondog]

Get an air pump with an inlet connection , run that to the outside, run the output to an air stone in your tank.
Co2 rises and falls in a couple of hours, so opening once a week has little benefit.
If no one is home, of course it takes longer for co2 to elevate.

 

[piranhaman00]

I run a fan in a window all day, brings pH up 0.3 units, small apartment but yes AC runs against it, what I do for fish.

 

[HuduVudu]

My solution:

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hi @Nick Steele

One time a week will give you a minimal temporary bump. Don’t be too concerned as you are still in the range. Sometime there is only so much you can do. Do you have glass tops on the tank that you can possible prop open to vent? Maybe run a reverse photo period in the sump at night will help reduce swings. An air pump in the sump at night also with the reverse photo is good.

Esv 2 parts dosing is great stuff. It will help buffer and keep your numbers up. Don’t be too concerned if you don’t hit 8.0. Consistency is best.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

My solution:

i don’t want to derail, but I have to ask, the money?? Rat trap for stuck up rats?

 

[Nick Steele]

I’m currently running an AIO 20G so no sump and cover is a mesh top. Running a fan won’t help as air surrounding the tank is co2 filled. I don’t want to run an air pump but will keep it in my mind just in case I need to one day.

Thanks for the help everyone! Looks like I will just not worry about it for the time being.

 

[HuduVudu]

i don’t want to derail, but I have to ask, the money?? Rat trap for stuck up rats?

Laughable the most expensive part was the pots for the plants, but since I am a clever reefer I went to the storage section and got storage bins for pots for cheap.

Cost break down:
Light for four plants $40 (16 watts) at Home Depot.
Each plant (majesty palm) $20 at Home Depot.
Pot for each plant $8 at Home Depot.
Soil for four plants $15 at Home Depot.
Pea gravel for 6 plants $10 at Home Depot.
River rock for four plants $10 at Home Depot.

Total per plant ~$45. Half of the cost being the plant.

Maybe that is expensive, but for me it is worth it. I run Hepas and I don't have to open the windows so the Hepas can do real work.

 

[|Tom the Bomb|]

what a coincidence I just watched brs new video they uploaded 4hrs ago abt hydrogen and oxygen and pH in ree chemistry
u should watch it urself it was so helpful to me and it'll answer ur questions for sure
it explains clearly why 8.3ph matters and why 7.8ph is worse then 8.3 and also why our aquarium water ph is less then the oceans @Nick Steele
I would recommend installing a good sized refugium with powerful horticulture lights

 

[Pistondog]

what a coincidence I just watched brs new video they uploaded 4hrs ago abt hydrogen and oxygen and pH in ree chemistry
u should watch it urself it was so helpful to me and it'll answer ur questions for sure
it explains clearly why 8.3ph matters and why 7.8ph is worse then 8.3 and also why our aquarium water ph is less then the oceans @Nick Steele
I would recommend installing a good sized refugium with powerful horticulture lights

Or OP could install one of these, and run the air line to the outside.


I runone on my waterbox 11, for export and Oxidation, they require an air pump.

 

[Nick Steele]

what a coincidence I just watched brs new video they uploaded 4hrs ago abt hydrogen and oxygen and pH in ree chemistry
u should watch it urself it was so helpful to me and it'll answer ur questions for sure
it explains clearly why 8.3ph matters and why 7.8ph is worse then 8.3 and also why our aquarium water ph is less then the oceans @Nick Steele
I would recommend installing a good sized refugium with powerful horticulture lights

Watching that video now. Although I know 8.3 is better already it’s just a little tough for me to get there. This isn’t my dream tank and will mostly only be up for two years or so but I still want it to get it looking nice. Also nutrients are zero issue and that’s why I don’t have a skimmer but maybe I’ll get one just to run the air line outside ;Bored

 

[Rjmul]

Get an air pump with an inlet connection , run that to the outside, run the output to an air stone in your tank.
Co2 rises and falls in a couple of hours, so opening once a week has little benefit.
If no one is home, of course it takes longer for co2 to elevate.

Any chance you have an idea of where to find something like that ?

 

[Rjmul]

Or OP could install one of these, and run the air line to the outside.


I runone on my waterbox 11, for export and Oxidation, they require an air pump.

What is this, the link expired

 

[Pistondog]

What is this, the link expired

Welcome to Santa Monica Filtration - www.Santa-Monica.cc

www.santa-monica.cc

 

[arking_mark]

Just my 2 cents, but with your setup, don't chase pH. Many reefers are successful with pH 7.8 NBS.

Most pH studies show increased growth rates for some corals. Do you need faster growth?

Indoor plants won't help unless you're setting up a greenhouse.

If you want a nice bump and are dosing for Ca/Alk, a kalkwasser drip to replace consumed Ca/Alk will give you a nice bump.

 

[flourishofmediocrity]

I bought a CO2 meter to try to figure how co2 is in my house and so far it seems to me at least in my situation that opening a window is far superior to having plants for lowering CO2. I have not performed a scientific experiment, but that’s my understanding after taking several measurements in my house at different times. I think it also greatly depends on the size of your room, how much time you spend in that room, how separate that room is from the rest of the house, how good your HVAC is, and how sealed your house is in general from the outside. The initial readings I took in my house which is a 3000 square-foot single-story were as such:

outside: 350ppm
large great room where tank will go: 650ppm
office: 750ppm
laundry where sump will go: 600ppm

my whole house fan is on all the time to circulate the air. It is my self, my wife, my two-year-old son, a 50 pound boxer, two smaller dogs and a cat. The reason I say that opening a window is superior is because a couple of times I have measured the CO2 in my office and it is always above 700 ppm even with several plants in a south facing window. All three times I tried, opening a window reduced CO2 by at least 200 ppm within 20 minutes.

 

[arking_mark]

CO2 levels change drastically hour to hour based on many factors. An open windows with good air movement will in a couple minutes drop you to ~400ppm (typical outdoor air).