PH and Alakalinity

[shanedag]

I'm in process of setting up a new tank (Waterbox 180.5). I have my first shipment of live rock in and have just completed the cycle. It seems to me that my PH and Alkalinity are lower than they should be. Curious if I should start trying to adjust (I have some Soda Ash from BRS) or just leave alone.:

 

[DC Reefer]

have you been dosing anything for Alk as it is going up? Is it new Trident? If new Trident I would wait until it has been going a week and then calibrate it and then confirm results with another test kit. If Alk is really less than 7, I would raise it and get it to your desired level and keep it steady prior to adding corals to the tank.

For PH, I would check the calibration (stick the meter in calibration solution and see if it gets the same reading) to make sure the reading is accurate. If it is accurate, I would try opening the windows and see if it raises to see if CO2 is the culprit. If CO2 is the culprit there are plenty of threads going here that can discuss ways to address low PH.

Good luck on the tank and looking forward to following the progress.

 

[GoVols]

If your nitrates have risen from going through the nitrogen cycle, then your alk goes down.
Nitrate levels and alk are linked together.

Follow @DC Reefer 's advice.

 

[shanedag]

Thanks both. Nitrates have risen but Alk has been lower than I expect for a while. Trident has been in tank for a few weeks now. I did initial calibration but nothing since then. I'll check out @DC Reefer 's advice!