PH solutions?

jservedio · May 7, 2014

Boboe77 said:
Ok! What kind of PH pen should i use? Or which one should I buy for my tank? I have a apex jr. So maby if its possible i can get a PH pen for that?

I don't have an Apex so I don't know what comes on the Apex Jr., but I think the PM1 module and a lab-grade pH probe are what you need. You should double check with others who own the Apex Jr. to make sure that is what you need before buying it. Once you have that, calibrate the probe according to the directions and I guarantee you will be surprised by what your pH actually is. I am willing to bet it isn't as low as you think it is.

Before I had my Pinpoint pH probe, my Salifert pH drip test was telling me I had a pH of 8.6 or higher but in reality it is only 8.1 at its peak. HUGE difference.

You could also borrow someone else's pH pen or monitor or have them bring it to your house for a quick check.

Boboe77 · May 7, 2014

jservedio said:
I don't have an Apex so I don't know what comes on the Apex Jr., but I think the PM1 module and a lab-grade pH probe are what you need. You should double check with others who own the Apex Jr. to make sure that is what you need before buying it. Once you have that, calibrate the probe according to the directions and I guarantee you will be surprised by what your pH actually is. I am willing to bet it isn't as low as you think it is.

Before I had my Pinpoint pH probe, my Salifert pH drip test was telling me I had a pH of 8.6 or higher but in reality it is only 8.1 at its peak. HUGE difference.

You could also borrow someone else's pH pen or monitor or have them bring it to your house for a quick check.

What do you think about the PINPOINT pH Monitor
At bulk reef supply?

jservedio · May 7, 2014

Boboe77 said:
What do you think about the PINPOINT pH Monitor
At bulk reef supply?

I use it and it works great. However, if you have an Apex, why not get something that integrates with it?

sirreal · May 7, 2014

with everything on the low side I agree with everyone saying to use kalk. one thing that no one has said is Kalk will not raise you mag. So you will need to dose your mag to get it up to the 1350 range. 1180 is not to bad but its low enough that you alk and cal will not be stable. I just went through this my self. I had not checked my mag in forever because it was always good. when I did finally check it "Because I was having other issues" Me mag was 950.

Boboe77 · May 7, 2014

jservedio said:
I use it and it works great. However, if you have an Apex, why not get something that integrates with it?

Well I'm thinkin the pinpoint because its like $200 cheaper. So I will start putting kalk in my auto top off a 1/2 dose and lll monitor it with the pinpoint. You think this will be good?

Boboe77 · May 7, 2014

sirreal said:
with everything on the low side I agree with everyone saying to use kalk. one thing that no one has said is Kalk will not raise you mag. So you will need to dose your mag to get it up to the 1350 range. 1180 is not to bad but its low enough that you alk and cal will not be stable. I just went through this my self. I had not checked my mag in forever because it was always good. when I did finally check it "Because I was having other issues" Me mag was 950.

Ya ill definatly keep track of my mag, is the brightwell mag buffer good?

jservedio · May 7, 2014

The PM1 module is like $85 and a probe should be about $45. The Pinpoint is $100. I would definitely do a little research before buying a pinpoint when you already have an apex. At least if you get the pinpoint and want to integrate with the apex you can reuse the probe itself.

If you are going to start using Kalk, I would do some research into using it so you can decide whether you want to use plain ol' Kalk in your ATO or calcium acetate and how saturated you want the mixture to be. I strongly, strongly suggest not running kalk in your ATO because of all the potential problems it can cause. Using the 3rd pump on a doser or simply buying a stand-alone dosing pump (like a BRS 1.1 doser) means you get an exact amount of saturated kalk water on a daily basis and won't fluctuate with your evaporation.

When you start dosing kalk, stop dosing 2-part all together. Measure your Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium at the time you start dosing and then measure again exactly 24 hours after you started. This will tell you how much 2-part you need to dose in addition to the Kalk. Always start slow and measure your pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium on a regular basis until things are settled down since your dosing regime is going to change when you start with kalk.

Boboe77 · May 7, 2014

jservedio said:
The PM1 module is like $85 and a probe should be about $45. The Pinpoint is $100. I would definitely do a little research before buying a pinpoint when you already have an apex. At least if you get the pinpoint and want to integrate with the apex you can reuse the probe itself.

If you are going to start using Kalk, I would do some research into using it so you can decide whether you want to use plain ol' Kalk in your ATO or calcium acetate and how saturated you want the mixture to be. I strongly, strongly suggest not running kalk in your ATO because of all the potential problems it can cause. Using the 3rd pump on a doser or simply buying a stand-alone dosing pump (like a BRS 1.1 doser) means you get an exact amount of saturated kalk water on a daily basis and won't fluctuate with your evaporation.

When you start dosing kalk, stop dosing 2-part all together. Measure your Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium at the time you start dosing and then measure again exactly 24 hours after you started. This will tell you how much 2-part you need to dose in addition to the Kalk. Always start slow and measure your pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium on a regular basis until things are settled down since your dosing regime is going to change when you start with kalk.

Ok will do! Oh and what kind of 2 part should I get? What brand has been working for you?

Pete polyp · May 7, 2014

Boboe77 said:
Ok will do! Oh and what kind of 2 part should I get? What brand has been working for you?

You can actually make your own if you want to. There's recipes here if you search for them.

Boboe77 · May 7, 2014

So now I'm dosing ALK MAG CA 3 times a day to get it up to where it should be. I'm dosing 7.5 ml of ALK, 5.0 ml of CA, and 5.0 ml of MAG till it gets up.

NanaReefer · May 8, 2014

I've read the whole thread and am amazed at how much $$$ your willing to spend to fix an issue easily remedied with water changes. Especially on a 38g!
How did you go from asking what 2 part to get....to now your dosing?

Boboe77 · May 8, 2014

NanaReefer said:
I've read the whole thread and am amazed at how much $$$ your willing to spend to fix an issue easily remedied with water changes. Especially on a 38g!
How did you go from asking what 2 part to get....to now your dosing?

Well whatever it takes to keep my corals healthy and happy!

jservedio · May 8, 2014

NanaReefer said:
I've read the whole thread and am amazed at how much $$$ your willing to spend to fix an issue easily remedied with water changes. Especially on a 38g!
How did you go from asking what 2 part to get....to now your dosing?

Yeah one day between asking about how to fix a low pH problem that likely doesn't exist to having a dosing regime already set up seems absolutely crazy to me. You are going way, way too fast.

Boboe77 · May 8, 2014

jservedio said:
Yeah one day between asking about how to fix a low pH problem that likely doesn't exist to having a dosing regime already set up seems absolutely crazy to me. You are going way, way too fast.

Oh no I have brightwell products already and I'm dosing those till the levels get up. I'm doing that 3 times a day manually. I'll put my levels to where they should be to see if my PH settles in a good spot. If not, then I'll try kalk or soda ash.