PH issue that I can’t figure out !

[Pistondog]

Could it be something that’s not air related ? Like is something in tank causing low PH? Could it be the skimmer?

Dosing some things like vinegar, because they are acidic will lower ph temporarily.

 

[InactionJackson]

My tank is always 7.9-8.1 no matter if I open all windows.

 

[Stephen8169301]

My tank is always 7.9-8.1 no matter if I open all windows.

I don’t even no my ph I can’t remember the last time I checked it

 

[Reefering1]

So is this saying high ambient co2 can be countered by removing surface agitation and relying on a skimmer to add o2 to the water?

Yes, assuming the skimmer has a fresh air source

 

[Pistondog]

So is this saying high ambient co2 can be countered by removing surface agitation and relying on a skimmer to add o2 to the water?

The skimmer and surface agitation both provide gas exchange. Gas moves from higher concentrations to lower.
O2 has little direct effect on ph, but someone might correct me.

 

[Reefering1]

The skimmer and surface agitation both provide gas exchange. Gas moves from higher concentrations to lower.
O2 has little direct effect on ph, but someone might correct me.

C02 is the problem, right?

 

[Pistondog]

C02 is the problem, right?

Higher Co2 contributes to lower ph in our tanks.

 

[JM302]

I have the same problem - I hover around 7.8 - 7.9 and I dose kalk and have an outside airline connected to the skimmer and I have an external fuge. The fuge will get me up to 8.1, but the tank only has a certain amount of nutrients before they get wiped out and the pH starts rapidly declining. It's a constant battle. Tank looks fine otherwise. Only issue is my stony corals are not in a hurry to grow.

 

[Derrick0580]

I was just assuming if you aren’t drawing in ambient co2 from the agitation, the excess o2 would drive down the co2 in the water, thus raising ph. I mean it makes logical sense but I bet this isn’t the case. I have tried outside air to skimmer, outside air through co2 scrubber then to skimmer. Recirculating skimmer through co2 scrubber, all with little to no effect on PH. The biggest bump in ph I have ever noticed is with brand new scrubber media but after my large container of jorvet is gone I don’t plan on buying anymore as it’s just too cost prohibitive at this point as even recirculating through the skimmer burns it up at a rapid rate.

 

[Pistondog]

I was just assuming if you aren’t drawing in ambient co2 from the agitation, the excess o2 would drive down the co2 in the water, thus raising ph. I mean it makes logical sense but I bet this isn’t the case. I have tried outside air to skimmer, outside air through co2 scrubber then to skimmer. Recirculating skimmer through co2 scrubber, all with little to no effect on PH. The biggest bump in ph I have ever noticed is with brand new scrubber media but after my large container of jorvet is gone I don’t plan on buying anymore as it’s just too cost prohibitive at this point as even recirculating through the skimmer burns it up at a rapid rate.

Co2 and o2 levels are independant. Driving one up does not drive the other down, afaik.

 

[kboogie]

Dosing some things like vinegar, because they are acidic will lower ph temporarily.

To expand on this point it is not just the acid for the carbon source. The bacteria will consume alk in breaking down the NO3.

 

[bakbay]

I run a CaRx so it's been a challenge with low pH of 7.8 to 8.1. I've tried getting outside air to the skimmer and increased surface agitation with little effect. Kalk was a too messy for me so took that offline. I've been doing recirculating CO2 scrubber and now hitting 8.1 to 8.4. It's interesting to see that the OP is not seeing a difference, with multiple pH probes. Unless the OP's CO2 media is bad, I've had good success with this approach.

Edit: I suspect the pH meter(s) is bad. This doesn't sound logical to me given kalk + co2 scrubber. I would bring my water to a LFS and test with their meter to triple check.

 

[jda]

Air in the home can make more of a difference than all of the other things combined, IMO. If you struggle with pH, then get a cheap co2 meter and see where you are at. You could easily be at 800 or 1000+ when the outside is at 300. If you have a full house, then you could have dangerous co2 levels anyway.

All that you have to do is exchange air. This can be done in 10 minutes, or less with a fan in one window and an open window on the other side of the home - have to do all of the levels and especially a basement. Just pick a nice day once a week and give it a shot. $20 boxfan might cure most issues. Allergies is the only downside that I have ever seen to this.

 

[Jhillreef]

That’s some CO2 there! Probably why my Ph won’t rise

 

[jda]

Wow! I hope that you can get some windows open soon.

Try and air out all of the levels and rooms.

My guess is that you will feel the drop too. I don't know how to explain it, but you can just feel it, or at least I can. Once it gets over 800, it just feels yucky in my house.

 

[Jhillreef]

It’s 95 out. Not happening.. lol

 

[Allaric]

Are you able to add an algae scrubber? My tank was typically between 8 & 8.1. I have a few mandarins in a small tank and had to prep for a vacation. I let the algae grow to give more territory for the pods to supplement their feeding while I had a sitter (just in case). Tank is now 8.3 - 8.5 throughout the day due to all the extra photosynthesis. My tank looks gross at the moment, but an algae scrubber should be able produce the same results. Just don't clean it all the way.

Air conditioner broke before we got back. Sitter was a hero and bought a portable AC to save the fish until we could get it fixed, but the temp still went up from 78.5 to 80-81 (heat wave of course). PH also went up another .1 to 8.4 - 8.6. This increase exactly matched the temp increase with a delay of about 12 hours. I don't know if the warmer water was better for dissolved O2, or if it made the algae grow a little more, but if you were already considering a warmer tank, maybe you can eek out 0.1ph here?

But I agree with other posters. If your tank doesn't care about the PH then you are probably better leaving it alone.

 

[Jhillreef]

My AC is on at 71. Tank temp is good. It’s just too much Co2 in air with family of 6 and 2 dogs

 

[jda]

There was a typo in my message above. Outside air is around 400, not 300... sorry about that. You can take it outside and see what it is in your area.

If it doesn't get cool at night, then I don't know what to do. It will cool down at night eventually, right? Remember that 50 cents running the AC a bit longer is cheap compared to soda ash, reactors, etc. You just need to swap out the air, not leave the windows open for too long. 5 minutes with a box fan can do a really good job in most cases and it takes longer than that to really warm up a home.

Search for some of the human symptoms of high co2. If you are close to any of these, then it is worth the extra money to cool down some new air, IMO. Headaches, increased blood pressure and restlessness are the biggest things that are seen with levels about like yours.

 

[LuizW13]

I think you're just going to have to open up your windows. I'm in the same situation, it's just too hot- but for like an hour or so in the mornings, I'll open windows about 4inches closest to the tank and then I'll do the same late night.. It's not much strain on your AC and electricity.

I didn't open the windows for a few days and you can see it in the graph.