pH rising too high

[J-Dog]

My tank is fairly new, about 2 months old, and recently (this week) my PH started constantly rising. When I first got the tank running, my PH was around 8.0-8.2. It's at a point now, that when my lights are on during the day, the PH climbs to 8.6. I am using my Apex probe, which was just calibrated a few weeks ago. I also verified with another test kit, so it isn't the probe calibration. I do 2-part dosing and try to keep my numbers at alk-8, calcium-450, mag-1350. I've had to dose to keep alk and mag up, but calcium has pretty much stayed at 450 without dosing. I am pretty much stumped on what to do. I've tried aeration, but that seems to raise the PH even higher! Please help before things start dying :cry:......What could be going on in my system that would keep the pH climbing higher day after day?

 

[wysiwyg]

stop dosing see if that helps or get some ph dropper. could also try opening some windows to let fresh air in

 

[Young Frankenstein]

Vinegar dosing will drop ph like a hammer, but are you sure? , remember after dosing calk you ph will “temporarily go hi”, stop dosing. Its pretty hard for ph to go to 8.6 I thing you are making a mistake on measuring.

 

[J-Dog]

Windows are always open to help tank temp stay below 80.....and I can't stop dosing, otherwise my alk will drop and start killing my SPS. Maybe I need to get the 2-part mix that's used for lowering pH (for raising alk)

 

[Ninjapotamus]

dose baking soda instead of soda ash. most 2 part formulations use soda ash... just replace this with baking soda and ur good to go. it wont raise your PH nearly as much while still doing the same benefits for your alk.

 

[robert]

Dose bi-carbonate (baking soda) instead of soda ash. (alk portion of two part). This should keep your alk stable without pushing the ph up.

 

[_sludgefactory]

If you make the making soda at 350 for a few hours it will drive off some of the carbon and won't effect your ph as much.



Tank thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81000

LG P999 EaglesBlood 2.8, Trinity ELPmax

 

[robert]

No don't cook the baking soda. That will turn it into soda ash - which will increase the ph. Just the opposite of what you want.​

 

[_sludgefactory]

Less carbon atoms = less ph shift

Nope, I'm wrong.

Read: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php



Tank thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81000

LG P999 EaglesBlood 2.8, Trinity ELPmax

 

[_sludgefactory]

Windows are always open to help tank temp stay below 80.....and I can't stop dosing, otherwise my alk will drop and start killing my SPS. Maybe I need to get the 2-part mix that's used for lowering pH (for raising alk)

It shouldn't kill ur sps. I ran out of the stuff for my 2 part for a while and alk dipped down to like 5. Nothing died, but you could tell nothing was growing.



Tank thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81000

LG P999 EaglesBlood 2.8, Trinity ELPmax

 

[REEFKEEPER10]

i would stop dosing for a few days to see how it does. plus make sure all your test kits are good because if your having to dosing kalk and mag but your calcium isn't going down something isnt right. well unles your doing waterchanges a lot. how is your sps growth. the kalk is what's pushing your ph up but why it is going that high i dont know.

 

[ritter6788]

if your having to dosing kalk and mag but your calcium isn't going down something isnt right. well unles your doing waterchanges a lot. how is your sps growth. the kalk is what's pushing your ph up but why it is going that high i dont know.

I didn't see it posted that kalk was used. 2 part is what the OP is dosing with.

I agree that if your mag is dropping then your calcium should be dropping first. The tank hasn't been set up very long so how is it stocked? Unless you have a tank full of growing sps and clams then there shouldn't be a ton of dosing involved yet. What salt mix are you using? Have you tested the parameters in the freshly mixed salt to see what the numbers are to begin with?

 

[Cyber-Burn]

I agree with everyone else, stop dosing for a few days (especially the kalk) and see if it stabilizes. If your PH does stabilize then it is probably time to switch to 2 part with baking soda that will not affect your PH as much.
I am also curious as to how often you at doing your water changes? Mag usually doesn't have to be dosed that often,especially with frequent water changes. Also how much of each are you dosing and how often?

 

[ritter6788]

Did I miss the part where the OP said he used Kalk?

My tank is fairly new, about 2 months old, and recently (this week) my PH started constantly rising. When I first got the tank running, my PH was around 8.0-8.2. It's at a point now, that when my lights are on during the day, the PH climbs to 8.6. I am using my Apex probe, which was just calibrated a few weeks ago. I also verified with another test kit, so it isn't the probe calibration. I do 2-part dosing and try to keep my numbers at alk-8, calcium-450, mag-1350. I've had to dose to keep alk and mag up, but calcium has pretty much stayed at 450 without dosing. I am pretty much stumped on what to do. I've tried aeration, but that seems to raise the PH even higher! Please help before things start dying :cry:......What could be going on in my system that would keep the pH climbing higher day after day?

Windows are always open to help tank temp stay below 80.....and I can't stop dosing, otherwise my alk will drop and start killing my SPS. Maybe I need to get the 2-part mix that's used for lowering pH (for raising alk)

 

[REEFKEEPER10]

I didn't see it posted that kalk was used. 2 part is what the OP is dosing with.

I agree that if your mag is dropping then your calcium should be dropping first. The tank hasn't been set up very long so how is it stocked? Unless you have a tank full of growing sps and clams then there shouldn't be a ton of dosing involved yet. What salt mix are you using? Have you tested the parameters in the freshly mixed salt to see what the numbers are to begin with?

Kalk was a typo I meant alk oops. I was half asleep when I wrote that. Sorry for that.

 

[Cyber-Burn]

Did I miss the part where the OP said he used Kalk?

Sometimes posting on an iPhone is not ideal, it likes to autocorrect for what you normally type. The short limit on editing posts doesn't help.

 

[ritter6788]

No biggie. I just saw kalk posted by 3 different people and thought I was reading wrong or something.

 

[J-Dog]

Well, last night my pH dropped to 8.35, but after having my lights on for only 4 hours now, it's already up to 8.5. I haven't dosed anything the last 2 days, so I have no idea what is going on. Should pH be swinging this much from day to night? And why is mine going so high? I am stumped

 

[ritter6788]

I would leave it alone. Do your corals look bad? 8.3 is perfect. Probes can be off just like anything else.

 

[J-Dog]

8.3 is perfect, but 8.6 is getting out of hand. Just imagine if I dosed for alk today, I would be in the 8.7's! I'm going to try recalibrating my probe, maybe I did it wrong the first time. If that doesn't fix things, then I'm really in trouble