PH issue

renwah · Mar 10, 2016

So I'm having trouble getting my PH to 8.3. It currently goes from 8-8.15 daily. All main parameters are in optimal range. Only one a little high is nitrates which sits around 10. I'm trying to go the non water change route and its going good so far. No water change in 2 1/2 months. I do use prime to keep it lowered. But that's it.
Now as far as PH. Last week I started using the Kent brand kalwasser( as that's all AC carries)dosing in my ato. And I was hoping for a raise in pH but to no avail. Temp stays between 78-79. Like I said before alk, mag, cal, and salinity are on point. Oh and 0 phos. Any ideas to get it up or should I just be happy where I'm at. Fish and corals seem to be very content with the current settings,but I just wanted to try and keep it as close to 8.3 as I can.

deerhunter06 · Mar 10, 2016

Its perfectly fine. Don't chase it.

renwah · Mar 10, 2016

Awesome thanks. I'll just let it do its thing then

deerhunter06 · Mar 10, 2016

I ran an sps tank for 2 years with ph dipping to 7.6 sometimes at night. I never got over 8 even during the day. I did everything humanly possible to raise it and nothing.

renwah · Mar 10, 2016

I just figured with only 10 LPS and 4 fish, I should be able to get it higher

BossGT911 · Mar 10, 2016

if you want to rais your ph
use seachems 8.4

renwah · Mar 10, 2016

I tried marine pH buffer, that didn't work either. If I have any issues I'll try that seachems

BossGT911 · Mar 10, 2016

the are the best long lasting company
they have a great series of reef related products

fishdoc11 · Mar 10, 2016

I wouldn't worry about it. Alkalinity is much more important than pH in a reef tank IMO. pH is good to monitor for sudden changes that may signify something bigger going on but I don't worry about it other than that. If you aren't going below 7.6 or so and aren't over 8.4 it shouldn't be a problem. Also if you want to know more Randy Holmes Farley contributes to the reef chemistry forum on R2R and he would be able to answer any questions you have about reef chemistry.

renwah · Mar 10, 2016

Thanks all for the advice. I knew it wasnt that big of a deal because I was within the 7.8-8.3 range, but I thought it would be easier to raise than it has been. I'll quit while I'm ahead before I mess something up chasing perfection. Lol.
Oh also, one more thing. All but 2(I had 10) of my snails have died. Any ideas? Too clean maybe?

fishdoc11 · Mar 10, 2016

What kind of snails are they?

renwah · Mar 10, 2016

The 2 left are red striped turbos. The others were nass's, ceriths, and astrea's all dead.

renwah · Mar 10, 2016

They just turn upside down and die. They aren't even falling off of anything. If I see them, I'll flip them back over. The next day, they'll be upside down again. I'm clueless.

Lenny_S · Mar 10, 2016

My advice would be to stay away from buffers. Most if not all of them contain copious amounts of boron/borate. That will just keep building in your system and inflate your KH reading and the reality is that a good chunk of it is boron and not carbonates and bicarbonate.
If you can manage the CO2 you'll see higher and more stable pH.

fishdoc11 · Mar 10, 2016

renwah said:
The 2 left are red striped turbos. The others were nass's, ceriths, and astrea's all dead.

IME snails dying has more to do with trying to keep the wrong species or the snails not being healthy in the first place. They are especially prone to improper acclimation so this can be an issue before you ever see them. Those look like good choices so it's possible they weren't healthy from the beginning. Also snails have a hard time turning back over on sand, especially astreas.