PH too high?

[ErikVR]

Hi all,

My seneye is reading a PH of 8.7 on my main tank and the red sea test kit seems to confirm it. My home office tank is at 8.5. I don't add anything to raise my PH so it seems to happen naturally. Both tanks are running skimmers 24/7 and I'd like to keep it that way to maintain acceptable no3 levels.

Is there anything bad that can come from such a high PH? I usually see people going out of their way to raise PH but never to lower it.

 

[TX_REEF]

Hi all,

My seneye is reading a PH of 8.7 on my main tank and the red sea test kit seems to confirm it. My home office tank is at 8.5. I don't add anything to raise my PH so it seems to happen naturally. Both tanks are running skimmers 24/7 and I'd like to keep it that way to maintain acceptable no3 levels.

Is there anything bad that can come from such a high PH? I usually see people going out of their way to raise PH but never to lower it.

Hello, this post may help you

Very high ph, 8.7

Hey Randy. This seems wild, but my pH is really high - I have always been a fan of higher pH in the 8.3 range if it was easy by running a co2 scrubber or kalk, but I recently decided that I would try running macro algae without a skimmer - so I stopped all dosing and removed the skimmer. Part of...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

IMO, if you are not using high pH alk additives, pH is never too high.

I do not know if ph 8.7 is accurate (I expect not), but unless the alkalinity is above 15 dKH, simple aeration will lower it if it is actually that high.

 

[ErikVR]

I’m at 9 dkh and using all for reef. But I read that it doesn’t affect PH much.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m at 9 dkh and using all for reef. But I read that it doesn’t affect PH much.

That's correct. If anything it has a slight pH lowering effect.

IMO, unless you have almost no aeration, the pH is not accurate.

 

[ErikVR]

That's correct. If anything it has a slight pH lowering effect.

IMO, unless you have almost no aeration, the pH is not accurate.

It’s a heavily insulated house with not much ventilation in winter time. So I would expect a low ph instead of high. I agree, the reading is probably not right. I’ll get a second opinion at my fish store tomorrow.

 

[ErikVR]

@Randy Holmes-Farley you were right. False reading.
I was an idiot and somehow forgot the checkmark in the seneye app that it should measure PH for a marine tank instead of freshwater. Now it's reading 8.12. Really shows how useless the color drop-tests are....

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley you were right. False reading.
I was an idiot and somehow forgot the checkmark in the seneye app that it should measure PH for a marine tank instead of freshwater. Now it's reading 8.12. Really shows how useless the color drop-tests are....

Glad it is all worked out!

Happy Reefing.