ph levels

[sergifed91]

I have been having issues with my ph levels. can't get it higher than 7.8 ppm. at night it drops down to 7.4 ppm. I leave the windows open during the day with a fan blowing to circulate the air. which seems to help. but I'm looking for a more permanate solution. I thought about extending my air intake tubing to a window. but the problem with that is it would be between 15 to 25 feet to the closest window. so If I did that would it work. I don't think the air in take is powerful enough to suck the air that far. I also thought trying Kalkwasser or seachem marine buffer. my skimmer is a eshopps PSK-100H. any suggestions.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Do not use any liquid additives designed to raise pH. The only way a liquid additive like this can raise pH is if it raises carbonate alkalinity, which becomes problematic over time. If you need an alkalinity supplement, then one of these additives is fine to use. But they should not be used solely for the pH boost.

How are you testing pH? I would suspect testing error is a part of the problem. A low of 7.4 is unusual because of the way that seawater is buffered. That's not to say that it's impossible, but it is very low. At a pH of 7.4, coral skeletons would start to dissolve. Your home would have to have a lot of built-up CO2 to drive pH that low.