Reef tank pH
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8.5 is stretching it.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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The pH is never too high unless you are adding very high pH additives. Excessively high pH without dosing a lot of high pH alk additive is typically test error.
I'd suggest keeping it below about 8.55-8.6, and if it is that high (and alk is normal) aeration will bring it down.
This has more:
pH And The Reef Aquarium
http://www.reefedition.com/ph-and-the-reef-aquarium/
I'd suggest keeping it below about 8.55-8.6, and if it is that high (and alk is normal) aeration will bring it down.
This has more:
pH And The Reef Aquarium
http://www.reefedition.com/ph-and-the-reef-aquarium/
davidcalgary29
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I can certainly confirm, though, that pico "jar" builds that limit gas exchange can also result in unfortunately high pH readings. I have two five-week cycled jarquariums (one in a truly ugly algal phase); one has an airstone (#1) and tightly-fitted lid; the other has a water pump (and nano UV sterilizer) and a looser lid (#2). I received a mushroom frag in the mail today, and dropped it in jar #2...where it immediately began to expel mucus and started to shrivel. I then dumped it in jar #1, where it's settling in nicely. Lights were off in both setups. I couldn't see why jar #2 was causing issues, as ammonia and nitrates are both 0...and then checked pH, which was off-the Red Sea test kit chart high. It was actually close to purple! The pH in jar #1, meanwhile, is 8.2. I can only assume that I prevented CO2 from entering the water column in build #2, and that the airstone has been enough in build #1. I brought pH to 8.2 with distilled vinegar and a water change, and I'm going to add an airstone to build #2 tomorrow.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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Unaerated water that is photosynthesizing can get high in pH. Without photosynthesis, it should not rise noticeably, and would more likely lower.
Snoopdog
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Something I have wondered for a while. As a tank matures and corals grow and the tank fills up more, does the PH naturally increase from the added photosynthesis.? That is with all other things being equal.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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Not many folks track pH over years, but if aeration and the house Co2 level remained unchanged, and the effects of dosing the additional alkalinity could be accounted for, I'd expect the pH peak to get higher and the nightly low to possibly get lower (more photosynthesis by day, more respiration by night).
Snoopdog
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Yes, if all other things remain the same. I really wish I had more room in my sump area to have photosynthesis at night, I will try to work on that. But over time as my corals grow I should have a higher PH at the end of the day, less likely to drop at night.
davidcalgary29
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Yes, I had two clumps of macro and a whole lot of GHA in that jar at the time that I got the high pH reading. I cleaned out the GHA, removed the macro (so I could get rid of algal growth) put in an airstone, and reduced the pH to 8.2 (with .5mL of vinegar), and it's now steady at around that point.
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