pH question.

[member 99594]

I just wanted to see if this is something to worry about.
We are here in Ontario Canada and we get really humid periods throughout the summer. We NEED ac on. You see in my graph the day we turn on the ac and the day we have it off.
Is this pH swing something to worry about?

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

pH that low is a concern. Under 7.8, corals and aragonite start dissolving to buffer the water.

There are several ways you can raise it. You can use limewater, you can dose a sodium hydroxide two-part, you can use a CO2 scrubber, you can run an airline to your skimmer outdoors, etc. Lots of options. But I would consider doing something.

 

[member 99594]

I have done the airline outside, air stone running at night, and I dose two part daily.

I am just wondering in a dip like that is harmful. I understand running that low consistently is going to slow growth and cause adverse effects.

 

[member 99594]

Anyone have any thoughts on pH dropping just below the 7.7 for less than a day? Would that be something to worry about if I am doing all the other things that raise pH for the majority of the time?

 

[Uncle99]

swings are normal, day will be higher, night lower......I would not have much concern.
I live where you do, yups been humid so our AC is always going.
Why turn it off, doesn’t it do that on its own to maintain desired temp.
Now, when the AC is off, if you open windows, that’s going to increase it a bit
my flux in PH is only .2, so 7.9-8.1.

 

[member 99594]

We only turn it on when the humidity gets unbearable.. I kinda figured that a slight dip would not hurt too much.

My tank is in the basement and now I am thinking next time I may put it on the main floor. I feel like the furnace being so close to it has a big factor in the pH.

 

[rockstar5551]

I had similar numbers and added a CO2 scrubber. It was cheap and helped my ph considerably.

 

[Brian_68]

My tank typically drops to around 7.7 give or take at night when I run the A/C all day and climbs over 8 during the day. WIth windows open it may bottom out around 8.0. Tank is over 20 years old probably been doing that for years before I monitored ph.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I have done the airline outside, air stone running at night, and I dose two part daily.

Old post, but this is probably lowering pH, not raising it. Air pumps take air from your house and bubble it into your tank. If the air in your house has high CO2, which it probably does given your low pH, you're adding that CO2 to the water. This will lower pH, not raise it.