Raising PH alternatives

[dank reefer]

7.9 low is really not much to worry about but if you want to push it higher Co2 scrubber or if you got a friend with a larger skimmer you can borrow try that, i know running a calcium reactor it will bump it up the harder you run the skimmer pump but without a carx whether it will work or not i'm not sure.
OT - how did you make those legs on the frag rack? did you heat then bend or cut the lower part & reglue??

I'm going to keep running it as it is and not make any adjustments for now. PH has been I'm those levels for the last past 2 weeks or so.

I used a heat gun to bend the egg crate to make the legs.

 

[2una]

I'm going to keep running it as it is and not make any adjustments for now. PH has been I'm those levels for the last past 2 weeks or so.

I used a heat gun to bend the egg crate to make the legs.

Cool thanks - nice job!

 

[dank reefer]

If your NO3 isn't too low you could increase the intensity of your chaeto light.
This will increase the rate of photosynthesis (assuming the light intensity is on the low side) algae growth & assimilation of the carbon atom leaving O2 ^pH

I use a Kessil h80 as a fuge light and it's at max intensity and set to 50% spectrum using my apex running on reverse schedule. I am ready to pull the trigger on a hanna ulr checker for phosphate since what I currently have now is API and it's either .25, or .0.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I use a Kessil h80 as a fuge light and it's at max intensity and set to 50% spectrum using my apex running on reverse schedule. I am ready to pull the trigger on a hanna ulr checker for phosphate since what I currently have now is API and it's either .25, or .0.

you need it set to mostly red, at least to the Bloom setting or full red. Try that

what surface area is it covering?

 

[dank reefer]

you need it set to mostly red, at least to the Bloom setting or full red. Try that

Wouldn't you want it in the grow setting? I know the bloom setting is used for other types of flower for other reasons. But you think that in bloom setting, it would make the chaeto grow more?

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Wouldn't you want it in the grow setting? I know the bloom setting is used for other types of flower for other reasons. But you think that in bloom setting, it would make the chaeto grow more?

The recommended ratio of red:blue is 8:1 in terms of wattage.
Blue is for flowering & new sprouts - terrestrial plants, & can alter leaf shape (lettuce for example).
Green algae grow in tidal & shallow waters, recieve full sunlight, full red. Brown algae in deeper waters get more blue light.

Also, what is the surface area your kessil is covering? Just considering how many watts its actually recieving?

 

[dank reefer]

The recommended ratio of red:blue is 8:1 in terms of wattage.
Blue is for flowering & new sprouts - terrestrial plants, & can alter leaf shape (lettuce for example).
Green algae grow in tidal & shallow waters, recieve full sunlight, full red. Brown algae in deeper waters get more blue light.

Also, what is the surface area your kessil is covering? Just considering how many watts its actually recieving?

I post pics once I get gome of the fuge section and also with the light on. I'll post dimensions of the fuge as well.

 

[dank reefer]

The recommended ratio of red:blue is 8:1 in terms of wattage.
Blue is for flowering & new sprouts - terrestrial plants, & can alter leaf shape (lettuce for example).
Green algae grow in tidal & shallow waters, recieve full sunlight, full red. Brown algae in deeper waters get more blue light.

Also, what is the surface area your kessil is covering? Just considering how many watts its actually recieving?

Jere is a poc of the fuge section with the light on. Section measures at 10x14.5

 

[2una]

You could possibly also consider your main tank lighting ,Depending on what sort of photoperiod your running now running your main tank lighting stronger or longer will likely also raise it a point or 2....It will make the high higher so if all is normal the low should be also higher.

 

[dank reefer]

You could possibly also consider your main tank lighting ,Depending on what sort of photoperiod your running now running your main tank lighting stronger or longer will likely also raise it a point or 2....It will make the high higher so if all is normal the low should be also higher.

This is the light schedule I am currently running over the tank with 2 hydra 26 hd. I can bump up the intensity a bit and wait 2 weeks to see how things respond.

This is a slightly modified version of David Saxby setting, I just turned back the red and green a bit, and running whites only at the last couple of hours in high intensity.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Jere is a poc of the fuge section with the light on. Section measures at 10x14.5

I would say that running this light at either end of the color adjustment -red or blue, would be less than 15W.
Probably not enough light I would confidently say. Perhaps a second one?
You could try getting it closer to the water surface first.

.

 

[dank reefer]

I would say that running this light at either end of the color adjustment -red or blue, would be less than 15W.
Probably not enough light I would confidently say. Perhaps a second one?
You could try getting it closer to the water surface first.

.

I'll take the suggestion of moving the light closer to the water surface. That gooseneck holder is not the easiest to get to sit where you want it.

If the other option is to place another light in there, then I would just replace it with the next step up kessil.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I'll take the suggestion of moving the light closer to the water surface. That gooseneck holder is not the easiest to get to sit where you want it.

If the other option is to place another light in there, then I would just replace it with the next step up kessil.

I would measure the surface area of the chaeto compartment, & research wattage for the fuge.
BRS have good video series on this to help. I think your wattage could be a fair bit higher. I use a scrubber & the specs are very specific, but the leds are very close to the growth screen & extremely efficient, not flooding a compartment, so the specs are not quite transferable.
No doubtthis will help raise your pH, not that its a problem for you at present levels.

 

[dank reefer]

I would measure the surface area of the chaeto compartment, & research wattage for the fuge.
BRS have good video series on this to help. I think your wattage could be a fair bit higher. I use a scrubber & the specs are very specific, but the leds are very close to the growth screen & extremely efficient, not flooding a compartment, so the specs are not quite transferable.
No doubtthis will help raise your pH, not that its a problem for you at present levels.

Thanks @Scrubber_steve for all you advice. I'll keep an eye out on fuge lights for sale.

 

[Sven57]

In my 25 nano cube I dose 2 part 7ml a day. Keeps alk at 9. I add around 1/8 of a teaspoon of kalk to my 4 gallon ato bucket. This does not affect alk but is enough to keep my ph steady at 8.2 all week. Before it varied from 7.8 to 8.2 without. That small amount gets me a ph of 10 in the ato. Evaporation is around 1/2 gallon a day in this small open top with sump. No co2 scrubber.

 

[Sven57]

Try a small amount of kalk in your ato. My 25g cube and sump evaporate about 1/2 gal a day. Ph was 7.8-8.1 day to night. My ato is 4 gal. I add about 1/8 of a teaspoon of kalk to the 4 gallon container. Ph is 10.0. Ph stays steady at 8.2 day and night. Start with a very small amount. Its trial and error to get the right amount. Adding to much will alter your KH. I have found the this to be very effective at keeping a stable ph with out using a co2 scrubber.

 

[Sven57]

Sorry mistake, that should have read 1/8 of a half of teaspoon. So around 1/16 of a teaspoon or less. Anyway it does not take much kalk to alter the ph of your ato. In such a small system it does not take much of anything to alter parameters.

 

[Vin's Reef]

CO2 scrubber and an Aquamaxx skimmer. Dumped Reef Octo. Overpriced junk. Paid half the price for my Aquamaxx skimmer and it's pulling in so much air I needed to connect a solenoid to control my pH.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello fellow reefers

I am wanting to find out what other alternatives our out there to raise PH in a reef tank?

I can't open the windows to allow fresh air to come in this time of year cause of the weather being too cold. I am in a rental, so I cant drill a whole and run tubing from my skimmer to the outside to get fresh air that way. Not sure if running an airstone in the sump would help since it would be pulling air from inside the house either.

I don't want to run KALK because I am currently dosing 2 part. Even though its a small amount I am dosing at this time (6ml of both ALK and CAL to keep it at around 9.5 ALK), I just don't rust myself dosing KALK with all the horror stories I have read about it.

My Tank runs ATM at around 7.9-8.1 PH and fluctuates during the day, and night. I have my DOS dripping ALK at night during lights out and CAL during the day. When I was able to open up the windows my PH would hover around 8.15-8.29.

I know stability is key in this hobby, and we don't want to chase numbers. But I feel that I should at least try and increase my PH so that it stays above 8 at least.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Happy Reefing!

No need to chase Ph. I would love 8 but have had a range between 7.56 and 7.7 for a couple of years with no issues. Yes, it goes down during the night, but it is best to have it stable, than up and down

 

[Paul J]

I use soda lime and this has kept a higher PH and the PH is stable. Put soda lime in a container (I use a plastic bottle) put holes in the bottom with some sponge filter add the soda lime, screw top with hole in the top and connect with air line to the skimmer. I use the colour changing soda lime.