Ph dump Bacto balance

[bkwonnn]

Hi guys,

Ben running Bacto balance since a week. My phosphate went down from 0.1 to 0.02 fast, nitrate is coming down slower from 50.

My PH is really taking a hit. Went from 8.1 tot 7.7 average. Is this normal, will this stay like this? Thanks

 

[bkwonnn]

25 gallon tank only using 0.2 ml per day.

 

[Patx]

55gallons
dosing 0.6ml or 1.2ml. Doesn't affect my pH.
PH 8.2 in both case.

 

[Garf]

Hi guys,

Ben running Bacto balance since a week. My phosphate went down from 0.1 to 0.02 fast, nitrate is coming down slower from 50.

My PH is really taking a hit. Went from 8.1 tot 7.7 average. Is this normal, will this stay like this? Thanks

PH probe or liquid test kit?

 

[bkwonnn]

PH probe or liquid test kit?

Both seneye and Hannah test

 

[Garf]

Both seneye and Hannah test

No idea about the Hanna but I've heard something about bacterial films interfering with Seneye slides, i think you can clean them, cant you?. Do you find Seneye OK normally with pH? What are your free ammonia levels when carbon dosing?, if you don't mind, thanks

 

[Dan_P]

Both seneye and Hannah test

Seneye pH measurements might not be accurate and should be calibrated. My Seneye never agrees with my lab grade pH meter.

 

[bkwonnn]

But odds are that if 2 ph measurements are the same and super low, ph is super low.

 

[bkwonnn]

They measure 7.4 and 7.6 now. Pretty sick.

Alk is 9.5
Calcium 480
Mag around 1250
Fosfate 0.02
Nitrate 30

I’ve been leaving my windows open all night but no effect. Now tried cranking up the skimmer to max without skimmer cup to see what effect that has .

 

[bkwonnn]

I reduced my return pump flow with about 50% to accommodate for some other hardware. Turn over would still be 6 or 7 times the tank volume per hour. Maybe that has something to do with the ph?

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I recently got a co2 scrubber, makes a decent difference for me, I have always struggled with ph.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don't think it likely the phosphate change was a real change due to the bactobalance. It's more likely either a test error, or a real change for other reasons.

All organic carbon dosing tends to lower pH as the endproduct of metabolism of the organics is CO2.

More flow and aeration in a display tank can either raise or lower pH, depending on the current tank pH and the CO2 level in the air above the water.

 

[bkwonnn]

I dose all for reef. Should dosing kalkwasser improve ph ?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I dose all for reef. Should dosing kalkwasser improve ph ?

It will, but the extent of the rise depends on how much alk you need each day. At low doses, the pH effect is minimal. At high doses it is significant.

 

[bkwonnn]

Thanks. Reason I ask is because my alk is fine. I never tried kalkwasser but I’ve read a few comments of people stating kalkwasser will raise your ph, more than all for reef. I don’t understand the logic behind that, because in my understanding ph is more is les the results of the balance alk and calcium.
Since they both are fine in my tank, I cannot imagine that kalkwasser would improve my ph. But maybe worth a try.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks. Reason I ask is because my alk is fine. I never tried kalkwasser but I’ve read a few comments of people stating kalkwasser will raise your ph, more than all for reef. I don’t understand the logic behind that, because in my understanding ph is more is les the results of the balance alk and calcium.
Since they both are fine in my tank, I cannot imagine that kalkwasser would improve my ph. But maybe worth a try.

pH is a balance between CO2 and alkalinity. Calcium plays no direct role.

if you know any two of alk, pH or CO2 in the water, you can calculate the third.

AFR, like bicarbonate, gives a small tendency to add CO2, lowering pH a tiny bit.

Using carbonate as an alk source raises pH because it consumes CO2 when added.

Using hydroxide (as in kalkwasser) has an even bigger pH boost, consuming about twice as much CO2 when added.

But all of these effects are temporary until the tank pulls in or releases CO2 to the air.

 

[Patx]

So this "fresh water" table can be use to estimate Co² ?
Alk/pH/Co²

 

[bkwonnn]

pH is a balance between CO2 and alkalinity. Calcium plays no direct role.

if you know any two of alk, pH or CO2 in the water, you can calculate the third.

AFR, like bicarbonate, gives a small tendency to add CO2, lowering pH a tiny bit.

Using carbonate as an alk source raises pH because it consumes CO2 when added.

Using hydroxide (as in kalkwasser) has an even bigger pH boost, consuming about twice as much CO2 when added.

But all of these effects are temporary until the tank pulls in or releases CO2 to the air.

Beautiful explanation thank you sir

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So this "fresh water" table can be use to estimate Co² ?
Alk/pH/Co²

No, but a similar table for seawater at a specific salinity and temperature can.

The reasons why a freshwater table won't work are tied up in sophisticated chemical issues, but interestingly, its the same reason why adding totally pure fresh water at pH 7 to seawater at ph 8.1 will raise the pH above 8.1.

Master Reef Chemist Certification Question!!! (yes, you want this title)

Let's have some fun with a question that wraps up several different aspects of reef chemistry into a single, very simple (perhaps deceptively simple) question. It's just the pH of a hyposalinity solution. How much easier can it get? [emoji1] Get it right for the right reason and you too can...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Beautiful explanation thank you sir

You're welcome and thanks.