pH getting a little too high after adding powerful refugium...

[Velcro]

Prior to growing chaeto with high powered LEDs I had to run a CO2 scrubber to the skimmer being fed by the outdoor air. This was in addition to 4-5 liters of saturated kalk a day (my alk demand is like 2 dKH).

Well a couple weeks ago I added a small ball of chaeto and almost 100 watts of horticulture LEDs. Chaeto growth exploded and I had to remove my CO2 scrubber since pH was hitting 8.55 during the day.

This helped for a while with the pH only hitting 8.50 during the day, but as the chaeto has grown I'm now hitting 8.55 just drawing outdoor air to the skimmer. I recalibrated my pH probe just to make sure it's not off, and it's still dead on. Today I unhooked the outdoor plumbing to the skimmer so that it is drawing room air again.

Am I overreacting with a pH of 8.55?

 

[XNavyDiver]

Probably not a big deal, I'd monitor your alk demand with the higher pH though.

 

[Velcro]

Probably not a big deal, I'd monitor your alk demand with the higher pH though.

I check alk daily.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My tank ran up to 8.55 each day for a long time using limewater.

IMO, the only issue is increased potential for precipitation of calcium carbonate, such as on heaters and pumps.

 

[Jose Mayo]

There is a good pH, for the proper functioning of the biological filter ... for example, Nitrospira sp. (nitrite to nitrate), it only works well until 7.8 pH, above that it begins to decrease its work. There is also evidence that its preferred source of carbon is CO2, being inhibited by the excess of other carbon sources. Of course, this pH is what you read on the substrate, not in the water column, so there may be no correspondence except if the cause is low CO2 concentration.

Best regards

 

[Velcro]

My tank ran up to 8.55 each day for a long time using limewater.

IMO, the only issue is increased potential for precipitation of calcium carbonate, such as on heaters and pumps.

Well the problem is that I've been having to add increase my dosing by 240mL of kalk daily (the last 3 days) as my alk demand has been going up (coming close to 6L a day now), so it's going to be 8.6 soon if I don't do something haha. I'm thinking about putting a tee off my outdoor air plumbing with a gate valve to fine tune the amount of air it pulls from the outside.

 

[Lousybreed]

There is a good pH, for the proper functioning of the biological filter ... for example, Nitrospira sp. (nitrite to nitrate), it only works well until 7.8 pH, above that it begins to decrease its work. There is also evidence that its preferred source of carbon is CO2, being inhibited by the excess of other carbon sources. Of course, this pH is what you read on the substrate, not in the water column, so there may be no correspondence except if the cause is low CO2 concentration.

Best regards

With a cheato farm, you convert the nitrite directly to cheato absorbtion and utilization. Probably explains why its not a huge problem. But interesting fact to know for systems without a farm.

 

[Larry L]

Just to be safe I'd double-check the calibration of the pH probe - mine tends to trend high when it starts to lose calibration.

 

[Velcro]

Just to be safe I'd double-check the calibration of the pH probe - mine tends to trend high when it starts to lose calibration.

I mentioned in the original post that I just recalibrated this morning and it was dead on. Thanks though

 

[Larry L]

I mentioned in the original post that I just recalibrated this morning and it was dead on.

Sorry, I missed that.

 

[CoralWealth]

if you get a calcium reactor, that for sure will lower your PH if you are truly concerned with it being too high.

Which may make sense anyways as it seems your demand is getting pretty high for alk and calc

 

[Velcro]

if you get a calcium reactor, that for sure will lower your PH if you are truly concerned with it being too high.

Which may make sense anyways as it seems your demand is getting pretty high for alk and calc

I agree, and have definitely thought about it