Raising ph but not kh

[frenchie01]

Hi
Is there any way to raise the ph of my water without raising my kh?
Ph rarely touches 8 but can get down to 7.6
Kh is 8.0
Calc 470
Thanks

 

[Brew12]

pH is a combination of kH and dissolved CO2.

If you run a skimmer, you can raise pH by adding a CO2 scrubber to the skimmer air line or running the air line for your skimmer outside.

 

[frenchie01]

Added a co2 scrubber and it doesn't work.
I'll try and run an airline to out side

 

[Brew12]

Added a co2 scrubber and it doesn't work.
I'll try and run an airline to out side

I'm surprised you didn't see results from adding a CO2 scrubber. Do you run Durso drains on your sump? They can suck in a lot of air and reduce the effectiveness of a CO2 scrubber or outside air line.

 

[frenchie01]

Yes I run a durso. My co2 scrubber is connected to the skimmer. I didn't think that would of made a difference

 

[Brew12]

Yes I run a durso. My co2 scrubber is connected to the skimmer. I didn't think that would of made a difference

It's all about how much CO2 is in the water. If the contribution of the air exchange from the Durso drains is out competing the skimmer it will reduce the effectiveness of the CO2 scrubber.
It does seem odd that you didn't get any results from the scrubber. I still get a 0.3 or 0.2 increase from mine and I run 2 durso's.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I discuss ways to raise pH here:

pH And The Reef Aquarium
http://www.reefedition.com/ph-and-the-reef-aquarium/